2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Beckem
An English occupational surname derived from a Middle English term meaning "beer brewer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Beckem. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beckem 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Beckem in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckem, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beckem
The surname BECKEM has its origins in the German language and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the region of present-day northern Germany, particularly the areas around the cities of Hamburg and Bremen.
The name is thought to have derived from an Old German word meaning "small stream" or "brook", possibly referring to a person who lived near or worked with a small body of water. Some linguists also suggest that it could be related to the Old German word "bek", meaning "valley" or "small depression".
Historical records show that the name BECKEM appeared in various forms in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was often spelled as "Beckem", "Beckhem", or "Bekkem" in medieval German manuscripts and local documents. However, no definitive mention of the name has been found in major historical sources like the Domesday Book.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname BECKEM was Johannes Beckem, a merchant from Lübeck, who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Hildegard Beckem, a nun and herbalist from Cologne, who lived in the 15th century and authored a manuscript on medicinal plants.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the BECKEM surname spread across various regions of Germany, and some bearers of the name migrated to other parts of Europe. One prominent individual was Hans Beckem (1550-1624), a German goldsmith and engraver known for his intricate metalwork.
In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Beckem (1735-1811) was a respected German philosopher and educator who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy. Another notable figure was Catharina Beckem (1768-1824), a German painter and illustrator renowned for her portraits and landscapes.
As people with the surname BECKEM spread across Europe and later to other parts of the world, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as "Beckem", "Beckmann", and "Beckman". However, the original German spelling of "BECKEM" remained prevalent in many regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beckem
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckem, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Beckem 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 Beckem surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.3% · 85
- White19.0% · 22
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beckem
Beckem appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+14 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,404 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 13,404 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 Beckem 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 | #158,432 | #145,028 | 8.5% |
| Count | 102 | 116 | 13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beckem bearers went from 102 to 116 (+13.7% change). The surname moved up 13,404 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #145,028.
FAQ
Beckem surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beckem?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Beckem. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Beckem?
Beckem ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Beckem. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Beckem.
Has Beckem become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beckem went from 102 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 14 (+13.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Beckem?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckem, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Beckem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beckem appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (73.3%), White (19.0%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Beckem (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 Beckem mean?
An English occupational surname derived from a Middle English term meaning "beer brewer." 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 Beckem (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 common is the surname Beckem?
Want to know how many people have the surname Beckem? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.