2000
#3,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,178
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.40
Uncommon Last name
Beckham
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook, from Old English bēce "stream" and hām "home".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,865 Americans carry the last name Beckham. That puts it at #3,654 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,547 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beckham 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Beckham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,547
Census rank
#3,654
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,475 bearers of the surname Beckham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3654th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckham, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beckham
The surname Beckham is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the place name Beckham in Nottinghamshire, England. The place name itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bece" meaning "stream" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Beckham can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "de Bekham". This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname by the late 13th century, likely referring to someone who hailed from the village of Beckham.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Becham", "Bekham", and "Beckeham", reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping of that time. The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name Beckham, but it does mention the village of Beckham in Nottinghamshire.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Beckham was John Beckham, who was born in the early 14th century and served as the Archdeacon of Nottingham from 1349 to 1367. Another notable figure was Thomas Beckham, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the 16th century and owned properties in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
In the 17th century, the name Beckham gained prominence with the birth of William Beckham (1616-1680), an English clergyman and author who served as the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. His son, Thomas Beckham (1648-1706), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent clergyman as well, holding the positions of Archdeacon of Nottingham and Prebendary of Southwell Minster.
Another significant figure in the history of the Beckham name was Sir Edmund Beckham (1719-1791), a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire and a prominent landowner. His grandson, Sir Edmund Beckham (1774-1849), also served as a Member of Parliament and was a renowned philanthropist and supporter of education.
Throughout the centuries, the Beckham name has been associated with various places in England, particularly in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, where the surname has deep roots and a rich history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beckham
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckham, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Beckham 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 Beckham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 6,867
- Black or African American18.5% · 1,755
- Two or more races4.3% · 408
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 355
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beckham
Beckham 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
#3,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,960
+782 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 3.38
Rank movement Down 19 places
2020
#3,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,475
-485 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,556 | 9,178 | 3.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,575 | 9,960 | 3.38 | +782 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 19 places |
| 2020 | #3,654 | 9,475 | 3.17 | -485 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 79 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 Beckham 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 | #3,575 | #3,654 | -2.2% |
| Count | 9,960 | 9,475 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.38 | 3.17 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beckham bearers went from 9,960 to 9,475 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,575 to #3,654.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Beckham
FAQ
Beckham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beckham?
Name Census estimates that about 10,865 living Americans carry the surname Beckham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,547 residents.
How common is Beckham?
Beckham ranks #3,654 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,475 people with the surname Beckham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,865), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Beckham.
Has Beckham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beckham went from 9,960 recorded bearers to 9,475. That is a decrease of 485 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,575 to #3,654.
What does the Census say about the background of Beckham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckham, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Beckham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (6,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beckham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Black (18.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Beckham (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 Beckham mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook, from Old English bēce "stream" and hām "home". 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 Beckham (3.17 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 Beckham?
Want to know how many people have the last name Beckham? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.