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

Beau, 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 Beau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beau in America

Beau is the 66553rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beau surname appeared 297 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Beau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beau 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 Beau

The surname Beau originated in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "beau," which means "handsome" or "beautiful." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone considered attractive or well-favored in appearance.

In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Bel" or "Le Beau," reflecting the French roots. These variations appear in historical documents, such as the Cartulaire de Normandie, which dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries, where the name is mentioned in relation to landowners and noblemen.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name is Jean le Beau, a French knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. His name appears in the famous Domesday Book, a record of landowners and properties compiled in 1086.

As the name spread across Europe, it took on different spellings and variations, such as Beau, Beaux, and Beaux. In England, the name was anglicized to Bew or Bewe, as evidenced in the Pipe Rolls of Henry II from the late 12th century.

Notable figures throughout history with the surname Beau include:

1. Nicolas Beau (c. 1520 - 1598), a French painter and architect known for his work in the Renaissance style.

2. John Bew (1625 - 1695), an English merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in the late 17th century.

3. Marie Le Beau de Lamberville (1644 - 1711), a French missionary and explorer who traveled to North America and wrote extensively about the indigenous populations.

4. Jean-Baptiste Beau (1717 - 1803), a French physician and writer, best known for his work on the classification of diseases.

5. Charles-Édouard Beau (1828 - 1894), a French physician and neurologist who made significant contributions to the study of neurology and described several medical conditions, including Beau's lines (linear depressions in the nails).

The surname Beau has also been associated with various place names, such as Beaumont (meaning "beautiful mountain"), Beauvoir (meaning "beautiful view"), and Beaulieu (meaning "beautiful place"), reflecting the French heritage and the influence of the name across different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beau

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

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 Beau 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 Beau 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 Beau was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!