Find out how popular the last name Beckwith is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Beckwith.

Beckwith, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Beckwith surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beckwith in America

Beckwith is the 3020th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beckwith surname appeared 11,876 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Beckwith.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beckwith to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Beckwith

The surname Beckwith originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from a place name referring to a brook or stream, with the Old English words "bece" meaning stream and "wið" meaning a small wood or thicket near water.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a place called "Beckwith" in Yorkshire. This suggests that the surname likely emerged from this location.

During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name began appearing more frequently in historical records, particularly in the northern counties of England. Variations in spelling included Beckwith, Bekwith, and Beckworth.

Notable individuals bearing the Beckwith surname throughout history include Sir Roger Beckwith (c.1420-1492), a member of the Yorkist faction during the Wars of the Roses; Thomas Beckwith (1537-1586), an English clergyman and translator; and Josiah Beckwith (1733-1808), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Continental Congress.

In the 18th century, the Beckwith family established itself as a prominent landowning family in Yorkshire, with their ancestral seat located at Feldkirk Hall near Thirlwall Castle, which was originally built by the Beckwiths in the 14th century. Sir Thomas Beckwith (1772-1831), a British army officer and diplomat, was born at Feldkirk Hall.

Another notable figure was John Beckwith (1789-1862), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a rear admiral. His son, John Beckwith (1815-1887), followed in his footsteps and also had a distinguished career in the Royal Navy.

The Beckwith surname continued to be found throughout England and later spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as individuals emigrated from Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beckwith

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Beckwith.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Beckwith was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Beckwith has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Beckwith was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Beckwith, please contact us.

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