Find out how popular the last name Beals is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Beals.

Beals, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Beals surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beals in America

Beals is the 5007th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beals surname appeared 7,020 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Beals.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beals to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Beals

The surname BEALS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "beal" meaning "a clearing" or "a meadow." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century as a topographic name, referring to a person who lived near a meadow or clearing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEALS can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1273, where it appears as "de Beal." This suggests that the name was initially used as a locational surname, indicating a person from a place called Beal.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1275, the name appears as "Beal," further reinforcing its connection to the Old English word "beal." This record also shows that the name was present in various parts of England during the medieval period.

Notable individuals with the surname BEALS include John Beals (1605-1667), one of the early settlers of Hingham, Massachusetts, who arrived in the American colonies in 1638. Another prominent figure was Charles Beals (1841-1904), an American artist and illustrator known for his Civil War sketches and paintings.

In the 19th century, the BEALS surname was associated with the town of Beal in Northumberland, England. This connection is evident in the work of John Hodgson, a historian who mentioned the Beals family in his "History of Northumberland" published in 1827.

Another notable figure was Charles Henry Beals (1859-1943), an American botanist and professor at the University of Michigan, who made significant contributions to the study of plant morphology and embryology.

Additionally, the name BEALS can be found in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327, where it appears as "Bel," and the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1379, where it is recorded as "Beale."

Throughout history, the surname BEALS has undergone variations in spelling, including Beal, Beale, Beall, and Beel, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beals

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Beals.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Beals was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Beals has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Beals was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Beals, please contact us.

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