Find out how popular the last name Beard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Beard.

Beard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Beard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beard in America

Beard is the 721st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beard surname appeared 48,207 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Beard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Beard

The surname BEARD is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "beerd," which means "hair on the chin and jaw." It is an occupational surname given to someone who had a prominent beard or who worked as a beard-trimmer.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with records showing it in Cambridgeshire, England, as early as 1273. It was also recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where it appeared as "Berd."

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Berd," "Berde," and "Berdd," in records across England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 and the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Berd, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1344.

The name BEARD can also be found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Berde" in the county of Lincolnshire.

Notable individuals with the surname BEARD include:

1. Thomas Beard (c. 1520-1577), an English Puritan clergyman and writer.
2. Richard Beard (1801-1885), an English cricketer who played for Hampshire and England.
3. Daniel Carter Beard (1850-1941), an American illustrator, author, and one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America.
4. Amanda Beard (born 1981), an American former competitive swimmer and seven-time Olympic medalist.
5. Tyler Beard (born 1988), an American professional basketball player.

The name BEARD has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Beardsley, Beardmore, and Beardall, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Beard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Beard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Beard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Beard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Beard, please contact us.

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