2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Beckenbaugh
An occupational surname referring to a baker or baker's assistant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Beckenbaugh. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beckenbaugh 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Beckenbaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckenbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beckenbaugh
The surname Beckenbaugh has its origins in the German language, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century in the Rhineland region of Germany. The name is believed to be derived from the old German words "becken" meaning "stream" or "brook," and "baugh," which refers to a small hill or rise.
One of the earliest known references to the Beckenbaugh name can be found in the parish records of the town of Siegen in the year 1578, where a Johannes Beckenbaugh is listed as a landowner. The name also appears in various legal documents and property records from the surrounding areas throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the early 19th century, a notable figure with the Beckenbaugh surname was Johann Friedrich Beckenbaugh (1790-1861), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from the town of Bockenheim, near Frankfurt. His intricate timepieces and horological innovations brought him widespread recognition during his lifetime.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Beckenbaugh (1820-1892), a prominent lawyer and judge who served in the courts of the Prussian state. His legal rulings and interpretations of the Prussian code were highly regarded by his contemporaries.
As the Beckenbaugh family dispersed throughout Germany and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Beckenbach, Beckenbauer, and Beckenbagh. One notable bearer of a variant spelling was Franz Beckenbauer (born 1945), the legendary German footballer and manager, who rose to international fame in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Beckenbaugh surname can be traced back to Johannes Beckenbaugh, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749 as an immigrant from the Palatinate region of Germany.
While the Beckenbaugh name may not be among the most common surnames today, it has a rich history and cultural significance rooted in the German language and the regions where it originated centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beckenbaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckenbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Beckenbaugh 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 Beckenbaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 98
- Black or African American3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beckenbaugh
Beckenbaugh 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+10 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 489 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-16 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 489 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 15,012 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 Beckenbaugh 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 | #137,327 | #152,339 | -10.9% |
| Count | 122 | 106 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beckenbaugh bearers went from 122 to 106 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 15,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #152,339.
FAQ
Beckenbaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beckenbaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Beckenbaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Beckenbaugh?
Beckenbaugh ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Beckenbaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Beckenbaugh.
Has Beckenbaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beckenbaugh went from 122 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Beckenbaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckenbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Beckenbaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beckenbaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Black (3.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Beckenbaugh (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 Beckenbaugh mean?
An occupational surname referring to a baker or baker's assistant. 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 Beckenbaugh (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 people are called Beckenbaugh?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Beckenbaugh at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.