2000
#13,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Bechard
A French occupational surname referring to a spade maker or someone who worked with a shovel or spade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,156 Americans carry the last name Bechard. That puts it at #15,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bechard 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 158,977
Census rank
#15,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,880 bearers of the surname Bechard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bechard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bechard
The surname Bechard originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "buissehart," which means "little bush" or "shrub." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with shrubbery or bushes.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bechard date back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. Records from this time show variations in the spelling, such as Buissehart, Bussard, and Buschard.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Guillaume Bechard, a nobleman from Normandy who was mentioned in a charter from the year 1285. Another notable figure was Jehan Bechard, a landowner in the village of Rouen, whose name appeared in a land registry from 1312.
In the 14th century, the name Bechard began to spread to other parts of France, as well as to neighboring regions. Pierre Bechard, born in 1367 in the town of Limoges, was a renowned scholar and theologian who authored several works on philosophy and religion.
During the 15th century, the name Bechard was found in various records across France, including tax rolls, court documents, and parish registers. One prominent individual was Jacques Bechard, a merchant from Paris who was born in 1422 and played a role in the city's trade guilds.
In the 16th century, the name Bechard gained recognition with the birth of François Bechard in 1537 in the city of Bordeaux. He was a renowned poet and playwright who wrote works that were influential during the French Renaissance.
Throughout the subsequent centuries, the surname Bechard continued to be found across France and other parts of Europe. Notable bearers included Louis Bechard, a French military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars (1769-1824), and Marie Bechard, a French painter and artist known for her portraits and landscapes (1844-1918).
While the surname Bechard has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Normandy, where it was likely first associated with those who lived near or worked with shrubs and bushes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bechard
Among Census respondents with the surname Bechard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bechard 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 Bechard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 1,774
- Two or more races2.2% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bechard
Bechard 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
#14,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,053
+19 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 848 places
2020
#15,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,880
-173 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 546 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,675 | 2,034 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,523 | 2,053 | 0.70 | +19 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 848 places |
| 2020 | #15,069 | 1,880 | 0.63 | -173 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 546 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 Bechard 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 | #14,523 | #15,069 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,053 | 1,880 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.63 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bechard bearers went from 2,053 to 1,880 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 546 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,523 to #15,069.
FAQ
Bechard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bechard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,156 living Americans carry the surname Bechard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,977 residents.
How common is Bechard?
Bechard ranks #15,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,880 people with the surname Bechard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bechard.
Has Bechard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bechard went from 2,053 recorded bearers to 1,880. That is a decrease of 173 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,523 to #15,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Bechard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bechard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Bechard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (1,774 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bechard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Bechard (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 Bechard mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a spade maker or someone who worked with a shovel or spade. 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 Bechard (0.63 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 Bechard?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Bechard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.