2000
#8,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,569
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Beamer
An occupational surname for a trumpeter or hornblower, derived from the German word "Boehmer" meaning "Bohemian."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,733 Americans carry the last name Beamer. That puts it at #9,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beamer 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 Beamer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,817
Census rank
#9,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,255 bearers of the surname Beamer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beamer
The surname "BEAMER" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from an occupational name, referring to an individual who worked as a maker or seller of beams, which were large wooden structural elements used in construction.
One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it appears as "Robertus le Bemere." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially been associated with the Old English word "beam," meaning a tree trunk or large wooden beam.
In the 14th century, the surname is also recorded in various forms such as "le Bemer," "le Bemere," and "le Beamer" in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Essex. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the transition from the use of the prefix "le" (meaning "the") to the more modern form.
One notable individual bearing this name was John Beamer, who lived in the 15th century and was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1459. Another early record is that of William Beamer, who was listed in the Feet of Fines for Norfolk in 1524.
In the 16th century, the surname appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, with several individuals bearing the name appearing in parish records and tax rolls. One such example is Thomas Beamer, who was born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1567.
The surname "BEAMER" has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Beamersyde in Northumberland and Beamish in County Durham. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.
Other notable individuals with the surname "BEAMER" throughout history include:
1. Sir John Beamer (1592-1667), an English politician and landowner from Norfolk.
2. William Beamer (1635-1697), an English merchant and trader who was involved in the early colonization of Virginia.
3. Mary Beamer (1701-1765), a Quaker minister and activist from Pennsylvania.
4. James Beamer (1784-1856), an American soldier who fought in the War of 1812.
5. George Beamer (1820-1901), a Canadian businessman and philanthropist from Ontario.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beamer
Among Census respondents with the surname Beamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Beamer 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 Beamer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 2,722
- Black or African American6.7% · 218
- Two or more races5.7% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beamer
Beamer 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
#8,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,981
+412 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 182 places
2020
#9,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,255
-726 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 1,227 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,505 | 3,569 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,323 | 3,981 | 1.35 | +412 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 182 places |
| 2020 | #9,550 | 3,255 | 1.09 | -726 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 1,227 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 Beamer 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 | #8,323 | #9,550 | -14.7% |
| Count | 3,981 | 3,255 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.09 | -19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beamer bearers went from 3,981 to 3,255 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 1,227 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,323 to #9,550.
FAQ
Beamer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beamer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,733 living Americans carry the surname Beamer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,817 residents.
How common is Beamer?
Beamer ranks #9,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,255 people with the surname Beamer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Beamer.
Has Beamer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beamer went from 3,981 recorded bearers to 3,255. That is a decrease of 726 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,323 to #9,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Beamer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Beamer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (2,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beamer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Beamer (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 Beamer mean?
An occupational surname for a trumpeter or hornblower, derived from the German word "Boehmer" meaning "Bohemian." 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 Beamer (1.09 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 Americans have the surname Beamer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.