2000
#4,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,759
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.51
Rare Last name
Beals
Derived from a nickname referring to a person who was fair-haired or had a pale complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,390 Americans carry the last name Beals. That puts it at #5,233 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,381 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beals 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 Beals with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,381
Census rank
#5,233
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,444 bearers of the surname Beals in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5233rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beals, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beals
Among Census respondents with the surname Beals, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Beals 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 Beals surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 5,266
- Black or African American9.9% · 638
- Two or more races4.1% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 200
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beals
Beals 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
#5,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,020
+261 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 229 places
2020
#5,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,444
-576 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 2.16
Rank movement Down 226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,778 | 6,759 | 2.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,007 | 7,020 | 2.38 | +261 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 229 places |
| 2020 | #5,233 | 6,444 | 2.16 | -576 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 226 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 Beals 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 | #5,007 | #5,233 | -4.5% |
| Count | 7,020 | 6,444 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.16 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beals bearers went from 7,020 to 6,444 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 226 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,007 to #5,233.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Beals
FAQ
Beals surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beals?
Name Census estimates that about 7,390 living Americans carry the surname Beals. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,381 residents.
How common is Beals?
Beals ranks #5,233 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,444 people with the surname Beals. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,390), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Beals.
Has Beals become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beals went from 7,020 recorded bearers to 6,444. That is a decrease of 576 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,007 to #5,233.
What does the Census say about the background of Beals?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beals, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Beals in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (5,266 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beals appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (9.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Beals (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 Beals mean?
Derived from a nickname referring to a person who was fair-haired or had a pale complexion. 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 Beals (2.16 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 have the last name Beals?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Beals on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.