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

Bebley, 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 Bebley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bebley in America

Bebley is the 158432nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bebley surname appeared 102 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 Bebley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bebley 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 Bebley

The surname BEBLEY has its origins in the English county of Derbyshire, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "beb" meaning "beaver" and "ley" meaning "woodland clearing", suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a beaver-inhabited clearing in the woods. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire from 1196, where it appears as "Bebbeleye".

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Bebley, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Staffordshire in 1223. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also make reference to a John de Bebley, who held lands in the village of Bebley (now known as Beley) near Ashbourne, Derbyshire. This village likely took its name from the same Old English roots as the surname.

In the 14th century, the name BEBLEY appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1327, where it was spelled as "Bebbeley". A century later, the 1428 Lay Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire recorded a Robert Bebley living in the parish of Ashbourne. These early records suggest that the BEBLEY family had established roots in the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire by the late Middle Ages.

One notable bearer of the BEBLEY surname was Sir John Bebley (1532-1601), a prominent landowner and Justice of the Peace in Derbyshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was Richard Bebley (1654-1718), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who served as Mayor of Bristol in 1710. In the literary world, the poet and translator John Bebley (1680-1756) is remembered for his English renditions of French and Italian works.

The name BEBLEY also appeared in other parts of England, with records showing a Thomas Bebley living in Middlesex in the 16th century and a Richard Bebley residing in the parish of St. Martin's, London, in the late 17th century. Over time, various spelling variations emerged, including Bebbley, Bebly, and Beebly, reflecting regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of historical record-keeping.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bebley

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

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

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

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