2000
#2,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.90
Uncommon Last name
Beam
An occupational surname referring to a builder or a worker in wood or stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,706 Americans carry the last name Beam. That puts it at #2,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beam 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 Beam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,823
Census rank
#2,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,696 bearers of the surname Beam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beam, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beam
The surname BEAM has its origins in England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "beam," which referred to a tree trunk or a beam of wood used for construction purposes. This connection suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname given to those who worked with beams, such as carpenters or builders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEAM can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where it is listed as "William Beam." This document provides evidence of the surname's existence in medieval England. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John Beam in the county of Oxfordshire.
The surname BEAM has also been associated with various place names across England. For example, there are villages called Beam in Worcestershire and Beam Hills in Somerset, both of which may have influenced the formation of the surname. Furthermore, variations in spelling, such as Beame, Beame, and Beams, were common during the Middle Ages.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname BEAM throughout history. One of the earliest recorded persons with this name was William Beam (c. 1500-1567), an English clergyman who served as Archdeacon of Berkshire in the 16th century. Another prominent figure was Joseph Beam (1654-1717), a Quaker minister and author from Pennsylvania who played a significant role in the early history of the state.
During the 18th century, Jacob Beam (1734-1808) was a prominent American farmer and distiller who founded the Beam family's bourbon whiskey business in Kentucky. His grandson, David Beam (1802-1873), continued the family legacy and established the David Beam Bourbon brand.
In more recent times, notable individuals with the surname BEAM include Walter Beam (1913-2006), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the 1930s, and C. Clifford Beam (1923-2010), a United States Air Force general who served during the Vietnam War.
These examples demonstrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the surname BEAM, which has been carried by individuals from various walks of life over the centuries, spanning various professions, locations, and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beam
Among Census respondents with the surname Beam, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Beam 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 Beam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 12,229
- Two or more races3.8% · 521
- Black or African American3.1% · 425
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 376
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beam
Beam 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
#2,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,972
+742 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 4.74
Rank movement Down 82 places
2020
#2,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,696
-276 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 4.58
Rank movement Up 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,502 | 13,230 | 4.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,584 | 13,972 | 4.74 | +742 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 82 places |
| 2020 | #2,576 | 13,696 | 4.58 | -276 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 8 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 Beam 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 | #2,584 | #2,576 | 0.3% |
| Count | 13,972 | 13,696 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.74 | 4.58 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beam bearers went from 13,972 to 13,696 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,584 to #2,576.
FAQ
Beam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beam?
Name Census estimates that about 15,706 living Americans carry the surname Beam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,823 residents.
How common is Beam?
Beam ranks #2,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,696 people with the surname Beam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,706), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Beam.
Has Beam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beam went from 13,972 recorded bearers to 13,696. That is a decrease of 276 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,584 to #2,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Beam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beam, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%). 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 Beam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (12,229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (3.1%). 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 Beam (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 Beam mean?
An occupational surname referring to a builder or a worker in wood or stone. 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 Beam (4.58 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 common is the surname Beam?
Want to know how many people have the surname Beam? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.