2000
#11,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Becton
Derived from a place name meaning "bee cottage" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,862 Americans carry the last name Becton. That puts it at #11,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Becton 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 Becton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,760
Census rank
#11,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,496 bearers of the surname Becton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Becton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Becton
The surname Becton is of English origin, derived from a place name. It originated in the medieval period, likely around the 12th or 13th century, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England.
The name Becton is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "bec" meaning a stream or brook, and "tun" meaning a farmstead or village. Thus, Becton originally referred to a settlement located near a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest known references to the name Becton appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and estates in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a place called "Bectone" in Nottinghamshire, which is likely the origin of the surname.
In the 13th century, a record from 1273 mentions a William de Becton, who was a landowner in Nottinghamshire. This is one of the earliest documented instances of the surname Becton being used by an individual.
Over the centuries, the name Becton has been spelled in various ways, including Beckton, Bectone, and Beighton, reflecting regional variations and changes in spelling conventions.
Notable individuals with the surname Becton throughout history include:
1. Sir John Becton (1496-1558), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire during the reign of Queen Mary I.
2. Thomas Becton (1571-1630), an English clergyman and author of religious works.
3. Elizabeth Becton (1632-1704), an English Quaker and one of the earliest female preachers in the Religious Society of Friends.
4. Samuel Becton (1715-1789), an American merchant and landowner in North Carolina, one of the early settlers in the region.
5. Joseph Becton (1847-1917), an English philanthropist and businessman who donated funds for the establishment of a public library and park in his hometown of Nottingham.
The surname Becton is still found today, primarily in England and the United States, where many descendants of early English settlers bearing this name have lived for generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Becton
Among Census respondents with the surname Becton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Becton 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 Becton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.9% · 1,494
- White32.7% · 815
- Two or more races5.2% · 131
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Becton
Becton 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
#11,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,634
+219 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 17 places
2020
#11,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,496
-138 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,869 | 2,415 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,886 | 2,634 | 0.89 | +219 bearers (+9.1%) | Down 17 places |
| 2020 | #11,967 | 2,496 | 0.84 | -138 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 81 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 Becton 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 | #11,886 | #11,967 | -0.7% |
| Count | 2,634 | 2,496 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.84 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Becton bearers went from 2,634 to 2,496 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,886 to #11,967.
FAQ
Becton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Becton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,862 living Americans carry the surname Becton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,760 residents.
How common is Becton?
Becton ranks #11,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,496 people with the surname Becton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,862), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Becton.
Has Becton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Becton went from 2,634 recorded bearers to 2,496. That is a decrease of 138 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,886 to #11,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Becton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Becton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 59.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.7%) 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 Becton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.9% (1,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Becton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (59.9%), White (32.7%), 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 Becton (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 Becton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bee cottage" in Old English. 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 Becton (0.84 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 Becton?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Becton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.