2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Beckage
An Americanized variant of the German surname Becke, meaning someone from the village of Beck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Beckage. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beckage 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Beckage in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckage, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beckage
The surname Beckage has its origins in the northern regions of England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "bæc" and "ecg," which translate to "stream" and "edge" respectively. This combination suggests that the name might have originated from a geographical location near a stream or river bank.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1379, where it appears as "Bekaghe." This variation in spelling was common during that time, as standardized spellings were not yet established. The name is also mentioned in the Lancashire Inquests of 1486, written as "Bekage."
Interestingly, a similar-sounding place name, "Bekkagh," is documented in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, it is uncertain whether this place name is directly related to the surname Beckage.
Among the notable figures bearing this surname, one can cite John Beckage, a merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure is William Beckage, a soldier who fought in the English Civil War and is mentioned in the records of the Parliamentary forces from the 1640s.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the parish records of Cumbria, with the baptism of Robert Beckage in 1612. Additionally, the marriage of Elizabeth Beckage and John Wilkinson is recorded in the same parish in 1674.
Moving into the 18th century, the Beckage surname can be found in the records of the East India Company, with a mention of Edward Beckage, who served as a captain in the company's maritime fleet in the 1720s.
Finally, a notable figure from the 19th century is Mary Beckage, a philanthropist and social reformer from Lancashire, who was born in 1823 and devoted her life to improving the living conditions of factory workers and advocating for women's rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beckage
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckage, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Beckage 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 Beckage surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 9
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beckage
Beckage 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-2 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,552 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-21 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 9,552 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 19,595 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 Beckage 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 | #130,610 | #150,205 | -15.0% |
| Count | 130 | 109 | -16.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beckage bearers went from 130 to 109 (-16.2% change). The surname moved down 19,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #150,205.
FAQ
Beckage surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beckage?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Beckage. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Beckage?
Beckage ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Beckage. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Beckage.
Has Beckage become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beckage went from 130 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Beckage?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckage, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Beckage in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beckage appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Beckage (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 Beckage mean?
An Americanized variant of the German surname Becke, meaning someone from the village of Beck. 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 Beckage (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Beckage?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.