2000
#7,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Beamon
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English word "beam," meaning "tree" or "wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,980 Americans carry the last name Beamon. That puts it at #7,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beamon 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.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,826
Census rank
#7,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,343 bearers of the surname Beamon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beamon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beamon
The surname BEAMON has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "bea" meaning "dwelling" and "mun" meaning "hill or mountain". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a dwelling located on a hill or mountainous area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEAMON can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "William de Beaumount". This variation in spelling, with the addition of the French "mont" meaning "mountain", further supports the theory that the name was originally associated with a geographical location.
In the 14th century, the name BEAMON appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it was spelled as "Beamond" in 1348. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by this time.
Another notable mention of the name BEAMON can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it is recorded as "John de Beaumond". This variation in spelling, with the French prefix "de" meaning "of" or "from", further reinforces the connection between the name and its geographical origins.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname BEAMON. One example is John Beamon, an English clergyman and academic who lived in the 15th century and served as the Warden of New College, Oxford from 1456 to 1460.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Beamon (1472-1542), an English soldier and Member of Parliament who served under King Henry VIII and was knighted for his military service. He played a significant role in the Battle of Flodden in 1513 and was later appointed Constable of Rye Castle in East Sussex.
In the 16th century, Robert Beamon (1536-1603) was a renowned English poet and playwright who was part of the literary circle surrounding Sir Philip Sidney. His most famous work, "The Shepherd's Song", was widely praised during his lifetime.
Moving into the 17th century, Samuel Beamon (1628-1694) was an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several influential theological works, including "A Treatise on the Christian Life" and "The Covenant of Grace Unveiled".
In more recent times, one of the most notable individuals with the surname BEAMON was Bob Beamon (1946-), an American track and field athlete who set a world record in the long jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. His jump of 8.90 meters (29 feet 2.5 inches) stood as the world record for 23 years and is considered one of the greatest athletic achievements in Olympic history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beamon
Among Census respondents with the surname Beamon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Beamon 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 Beamon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.1% · 2,740
- White28.0% · 1,214
- Two or more races5.3% · 230
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beamon
Beamon 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
#7,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,485
+360 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 14 places
2020
#7,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,343
-142 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Up 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,440 | 4,125 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,426 | 4,485 | 1.52 | +360 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 14 places |
| 2020 | #7,403 | 4,343 | 1.45 | -142 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 23 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 Beamon 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 | #7,426 | #7,403 | 0.3% |
| Count | 4,485 | 4,343 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.45 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beamon bearers went from 4,485 to 4,343 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,426 to #7,403.
FAQ
Beamon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beamon?
Name Census estimates that about 4,980 living Americans carry the surname Beamon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,826 residents.
How common is Beamon?
Beamon ranks #7,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,343 people with the surname Beamon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Beamon.
Has Beamon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beamon went from 4,485 recorded bearers to 4,343. That is a decrease of 142 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,426 to #7,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Beamon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beamon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Beamon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.1% (2,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beamon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.1%), White (28.0%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Beamon (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 Beamon mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English word "beam," meaning "tree" or "wood." 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 Beamon (1.45 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 Beamon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.