2000
#6,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Beane
Derived from the Old English word "bean," referring to someone who grew or sold beans.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,552 Americans carry the last name Beane. That puts it at #6,701 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,735 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beane 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 Beane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,735
Census rank
#6,701
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,842 bearers of the surname Beane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6701st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beane, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beane
The surname BEANE originated in England in the Anglo-Saxon period, derived from the Old English word "bene" meaning "bean" or "prayer". It is believed to have emerged as a descriptive name for someone who worked with beans or as a nickname for someone who was thin and bean-like.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BEANE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bene". This indicates that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the surname BEANE was particularly prevalent in the counties of Kent, Essex, and Sussex. Variations in spelling included "Bene", "Benne", and "Beane", reflecting local dialects and inconsistent record-keeping practices.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name was John Beane, a merchant from London who traded in wool and other goods. Records from 1372 mention his involvement in a legal dispute over a shipment of cloth.
Another early figure was William Beane, born around 1530 in Kent. He served as a soldier under Queen Elizabeth I and was documented as participating in the siege of Calais in 1557.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Thomas Beane fought for the Parliamentarian forces. He was mentioned in dispatches for his actions at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the late 18th century, the name BEANE was also associated with several place names in England, such as Beane Manor in Hampshire and Beane Hill in Wiltshire, suggesting that some branches of the family may have taken their names from these locations.
One of the most notable figures with the surname BEANE was Sir William Beane, born in 1789 in Devon. He was a prominent naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became an Admiral in the Royal Navy.
Throughout history, the surname BEANE has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, tradespeople, soldiers, and professionals. While not as widespread as some other English surnames, it has maintained a presence across several regions of England for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beane
Among Census respondents with the surname Beane, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Beane 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 Beane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 4,130
- Black or African American7.7% · 373
- Two or more races3.7% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beane
Beane 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
#6,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,142
+173 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 276 places
2020
#6,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,842
-300 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,312 | 4,969 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,588 | 5,142 | 1.74 | +173 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 276 places |
| 2020 | #6,701 | 4,842 | 1.62 | -300 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 113 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 Beane 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 | #6,588 | #6,701 | -1.7% |
| Count | 5,142 | 4,842 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.62 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beane bearers went from 5,142 to 4,842 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 113 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,588 to #6,701.
FAQ
Beane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beane?
Name Census estimates that about 5,552 living Americans carry the surname Beane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,735 residents.
How common is Beane?
Beane ranks #6,701 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 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 4,842 people with the surname Beane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,552), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 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 Beane.
Has Beane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beane went from 5,142 recorded bearers to 4,842. That is a decrease of 300 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,588 to #6,701.
What does the Census say about the background of Beane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beane, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Beane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (4,130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Black (7.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Beane (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 Beane mean?
Derived from the Old English word "bean," referring to someone who grew or sold beans. 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 Beane (1.62 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 Beane?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Beane on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.