2000
#5,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,314
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Beaman
An occupational surname referring to a beekeeper or one who collected honey from wild bees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,145 Americans carry the last name Beaman. That puts it at #6,128 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,778 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beaman 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 Beaman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 55,778
Census rank
#6,128
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,359 bearers of the surname Beaman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6128th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beaman
The surname Beaman has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "beo" meaning bee, and "mann" meaning man, suggesting the name may have referred to a beekeeper or someone involved in apiculture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Beaman can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Beaman is listed. This suggests the surname was already established in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, records show a Thomas Beaman residing in Cheshire, England, as evidenced by the Cheshire County Lay Subsidy Roll of 1442. This provides further evidence of the name's presence in different regions of England during the medieval era.
The Beaman surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Beaminster in Dorset and Beamish in County Durham. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
One notable individual bearing the Beaman surname was Sir William Beaman (1542-1607), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Morpeth during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure was Thomas Beaman (1645-1706), an English Quaker who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs and later became a successful merchant and philanthropist in Pennsylvania.
In the 18th century, John Beaman (1734-1807) was an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
The 19th century saw the birth of Charles Beaman (1858-1943), an American architect known for his work on several notable buildings in Portland, Oregon, including the Dekum Building and the Reed College campus.
Another distinguished individual with the Beaman surname was Thomas Beaman (1876-1948), a British artist and etcher who was elected a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers in 1920.
These examples illustrate the presence of the Beaman surname across various fields and time periods, from politics and religion to science and the arts, further underscoring its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beaman
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Beaman 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 Beaman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 4,445
- Black or African American8.0% · 427
- Two or more races4.2% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beaman
Beaman 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
#5,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,980
+666 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Up 178 places
2020
#6,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,359
-621 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 341 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,965 | 5,314 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,787 | 5,980 | 2.03 | +666 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 178 places |
| 2020 | #6,128 | 5,359 | 1.79 | -621 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 341 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 Beaman 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 | #5,787 | #6,128 | -5.9% |
| Count | 5,980 | 5,359 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.79 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beaman bearers went from 5,980 to 5,359 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 341 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,787 to #6,128.
FAQ
Beaman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beaman?
Name Census estimates that about 6,145 living Americans carry the surname Beaman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,778 residents.
How common is Beaman?
Beaman ranks #6,128 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 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 5,359 people with the surname Beaman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,145), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 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 Beaman.
Has Beaman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beaman went from 5,980 recorded bearers to 5,359. That is a decrease of 621 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,787 to #6,128.
What does the Census say about the background of Beaman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaman, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Beaman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (4,445 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beaman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Beaman (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 Beaman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a beekeeper or one who collected honey from wild bees. 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 Beaman (1.79 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 share the surname Beaman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.