2000
#16,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Becnel
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived by a small stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,830 Americans carry the last name Becnel. That puts it at #17,323 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 187,297 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Becnel 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
1.8K
1 in 187,297
Census rank
#17,323
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,596 bearers of the surname Becnel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17323rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Becnel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Becnel
The surname Becnel is of French origin, originating in the region of Brittany in northwestern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Bec," which means "beak" or "nose," often referring to someone with a prominent or distinctive nose. The suffix "-nel" was a common diminutive form, indicating a smaller or affectionate version of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Becnel can be found in the Cartulaire de Quimperlé, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the Abbey of Quimperlé in Brittany, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by this time.
In the 13th century, there are records of a knight named Alain Becnel who fought in the Breton War of Succession. This conflict involved disputes over the succession to the Duchy of Brittany, and Alain Becnel's involvement indicates that the family held a certain social status and prominence during this period.
The name Becnel has also been associated with various place names in Brittany, such as the village of Bécneuf, which was likely derived from a combination of the Old French words "bec" and "neuf" (new), indicating a new settlement or area with a distinctive geographical feature resembling a beak or nose.
One notable figure with the surname Becnel was Jean-Baptiste Becnel, a French missionary and explorer born in 1688 in Brittany. He traveled to the Americas and played a significant role in establishing French settlements and missions in Louisiana and the Mississippi Valley region during the early 18th century.
Another notable individual was Pierre Becnel, born in 1745 in Brittany, who served as a soldier in the French Army during the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Louisiana and became a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.
In the 19th century, François Becnel, born in 1820 in Brittany, was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings and churches in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana, where many Breton immigrants had settled.
Additionally, the surname Becnel has been associated with the Acadian community in Louisiana, as many Breton families relocated to the region after the expulsion of the Acadians from Canada in the 18th century, blending their cultural and linguistic traditions with the existing French populations.
Overall, the surname Becnel has a rich history rooted in the Breton region of France, with records dating back to the medieval period and connections to various historical figures, places, and events throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Becnel
Among Census respondents with the surname Becnel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Becnel 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 Becnel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 1,336
- Black or African American10.5% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 46
- Two or more races2.0% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Becnel
Becnel 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
#16,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,702
+113 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#17,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,596
-106 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 542 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,616 | 1,589 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,781 | 1,702 | 0.58 | +113 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #17,323 | 1,596 | 0.53 | -106 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 542 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 Becnel 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 | #16,781 | #17,323 | -3.2% |
| Count | 1,702 | 1,596 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.53 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Becnel bearers went from 1,702 to 1,596 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 542 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,781 to #17,323.
FAQ
Becnel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Becnel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,830 living Americans carry the surname Becnel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 187,297 residents.
How common is Becnel?
Becnel ranks #17,323 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,596 people with the surname Becnel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,830), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Becnel.
Has Becnel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Becnel went from 1,702 recorded bearers to 1,596. That is a decrease of 106 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,781 to #17,323.
What does the Census say about the background of Becnel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Becnel, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Becnel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (1,336 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Becnel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (10.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Becnel (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 Becnel mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived by a small stream or brook. 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 Becnel (0.53 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 have the last name Becnel?
If you just want to know how many people are called Becnel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.