2000
#2,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.68
Uncommon Last name
Beavers
An occupational surname referring to someone who hunted, traded, or worked with beaver pelts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,935 Americans carry the last name Beavers. That puts it at #2,408 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beavers 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 Beavers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,239
Census rank
#2,408
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,768 bearers of the surname Beavers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2408th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beavers, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beavers
The surname BEAVERS is of English origin, deriving from an occupational name for someone who looked after beavers or traded in beaver skins. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th century, during the time when beaver pelts were a valuable commodity in England.
The name is thought to have originated in areas where beavers were found, such as the county of Worcestershire, which was known for its beaver population along the River Severn. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to 1273, when a William le Bevere is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire.
In the 14th century, the surname BEAVERS appeared in various forms, including Bever, Bevere, and Beavre, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. One notable bearer was John Bever, a merchant from Bristol who is documented in the city's records in 1349.
During the 16th century, the name BEAVERS began to spread across England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties such as Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. One of the earliest known examples is Robert Beavers, born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, in 1542.
In the 17th century, the name BEAVERS gained prominence with the rise of the beaver trade in North America. William BEAVERS (1602-1680), an English explorer and trader, is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to establish trade relations with the Native American tribes in the Hudson Bay area, exchanging goods for beaver pelts.
Another notable figure from this period is John BEAVERS (1624-1701), a Puritan settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and later became a prominent landowner and member of the colonial militia.
As the centuries progressed, the name BEAVERS continued to be associated with various professions and trades, including furriers, hatters, and tanners, all of which relied on beaver pelts. One such example is Thomas BEAVERS (1763-1828), a successful hatter from Nottinghamshire, England, who supplied hats to the British military during the Napoleonic Wars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beavers
Among Census respondents with the surname Beavers, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Beavers 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 Beavers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 10,976
- Black or African American16.7% · 2,462
- Two or more races4.5% · 671
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 452
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beavers
Beavers 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
#2,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,531
+215 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 5.27
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#2,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,768
-763 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 4.94
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,175 | 15,316 | 5.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,348 | 15,531 | 5.27 | +215 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #2,408 | 14,768 | 4.94 | -763 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 60 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 Beavers 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 | #2,348 | #2,408 | -2.6% |
| Count | 15,531 | 14,768 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.27 | 4.94 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beavers bearers went from 15,531 to 14,768 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,348 to #2,408.
FAQ
Beavers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beavers?
Name Census estimates that about 16,935 living Americans carry the surname Beavers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,239 residents.
How common is Beavers?
Beavers ranks #2,408 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,768 people with the surname Beavers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Beavers.
Has Beavers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beavers went from 15,531 recorded bearers to 14,768. That is a decrease of 763 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,348 to #2,408.
What does the Census say about the background of Beavers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beavers, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Beavers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (10,976 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beavers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Black (16.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Beavers (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 Beavers mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who hunted, traded, or worked with beaver pelts. 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 Beavers (4.94 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 have the surname Beavers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.