2000
#8,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,752
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Beadle
An occupational surname referring to a church official or parish constable.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,329 Americans carry the last name Beadle. That puts it at #8,400 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beadle surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Beadle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,176
Census rank
#8,400
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,775 bearers of the surname Beadle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8400th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beadle, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beadle
The surname Beadle originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "bydel," which means messenger or summoner. Initially, it referred to a minor parish official who assisted in church services and kept order.
The earliest known record of the name Beadle appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Bedellus" in Hampshire. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname were active in the region during the Norman Conquest.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Beadle was commonly found in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. Some variations in spelling included Bedell, Bedyll, and Biddell.
One notable early bearer of the name was William Beadle, a clergyman and chancellor of the University of Cambridge, who lived from around 1330 to 1395. Another was John Beadle, a 15th-century landowner and Member of Parliament for Salisbury in 1455.
In the 16th century, the Beadle family established themselves in the village of Beadle's Green, now part of Redditch, Worcestershire. This place name likely derived from their surname.
During the English Civil War (1642-1651), a Captain John Beadle fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was involved in the siege of Colchester in 1648.
In the 18th century, Thomas Beadle (1708-1789) was a renowned English clockmaker and inventor from London, known for his innovative timepieces and horological contributions.
Another notable figure was Charles Beadle (1825-1897), a British journalist and author who wrote extensively on social and political issues, including works on the condition of the working class in England.
The surname Beadle has also been present in other parts of the English-speaking world, including the United States and Canada, where it was brought by early British settlers and immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beadle
Among Census respondents with the surname Beadle, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Beadle bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Beadle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 3,124
- Black or African American8.3% · 314
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 164
- Two or more races3.7% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beadle
Beadle appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,005
+253 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#8,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,775
-230 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,137 | 3,752 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,277 | 4,005 | 1.36 | +253 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #8,400 | 3,775 | 1.26 | -230 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 123 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Beadle surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,277 | #8,400 | -1.5% |
| Count | 4,005 | 3,775 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.26 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beadle bearers went from 4,005 to 3,775 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,277 to #8,400.
FAQ
Beadle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beadle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,329 living Americans carry the surname Beadle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,176 residents.
How common is Beadle?
Beadle ranks #8,400 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,775 people with the surname Beadle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,329), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Beadle.
Has Beadle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beadle went from 4,005 recorded bearers to 3,775. That is a decrease of 230 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,277 to #8,400.
What does the Census say about the background of Beadle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beadle, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Beadle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (3,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beadle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (8.3%), Hispanic (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Beadle (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Beadle mean?
An occupational surname referring to a church official or parish constable. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Beadle (1.26 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Beadle?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Beadle at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.