2000
#5,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.20
Rare Last name
Bedard
A French occupational surname referring to a carter or transporter of goods, derived from the Old French "bedard".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,671 Americans carry the last name Bedard. That puts it at #5,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,380 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bedard 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
6.7K
1 in 51,380
Census rank
#5,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,817 bearers of the surname Bedard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bedard
The surname Bedard originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is a derivative of the Old French word "bedeau," which means "beadle" or "messenger." The name was likely first given as an occupational surname to someone who worked as a messenger or a church official.
The earliest recorded instances of the Bedard surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the Normandy region of France. Some of the earliest documented spellings include Bedard, Bedart, and Bedeau. The name can also be found in various medieval records and manuscripts from that era.
One notable historical figure with the Bedard surname was Pierre Bedard (1762-1827), a Canadian politician and lawyer who played a significant role in the early days of the parliamentary system in Lower Canada (now Quebec). He was a vocal advocate for responsible government and was imprisoned for his political views in 1810.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Jean-Baptiste Bedard (1765-1829), a French-Canadian painter and engraver who is considered one of the most important artists of his time in Canada. His works are highly regarded and can be found in various museums and collections.
In the 19th century, a man named Isidore Bedard (1804-1889) was a successful businessman and landowner in the town of St-Hyacinthe, Quebec. He was instrumental in the development of the local community and left a lasting legacy in the region.
Moving into the 20th century, Avila Bedard (1906-1976) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for various teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1927 and 1938. He was known for his defensive skills and physicality on the ice.
Lastly, Geneviève Bédard (born 1977) is a contemporary Canadian actress who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. She is particularly known for her roles in the films "The Barbarian Invasions" and "Incendies," for which she received critical acclaim.
While the surname Bedard has its roots in France, it has become well-established in various parts of the world, particularly in Canada, where many descendants of French settlers have carried on the name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bedard
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bedard 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 Bedard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 5,336
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 180
- Two or more races3.0% · 173
- Black or African American1.3% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bedard
Bedard 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
#5,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,046
+112 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 332 places
2020
#5,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,817
-229 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,402 | 5,934 | 2.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,734 | 6,046 | 2.05 | +112 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 332 places |
| 2020 | #5,735 | 5,817 | 1.95 | -229 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 1 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 Bedard 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 | #5,734 | #5,735 | -0.0% |
| Count | 6,046 | 5,817 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.95 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bedard bearers went from 6,046 to 5,817 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,734 to #5,735.
FAQ
Bedard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bedard?
Name Census estimates that about 6,671 living Americans carry the surname Bedard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,380 residents.
How common is Bedard?
Bedard ranks #5,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,817 people with the surname Bedard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,671), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bedard.
Has Bedard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bedard went from 6,046 recorded bearers to 5,817. That is a decrease of 229 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,734 to #5,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Bedard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Bedard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (5,336 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bedard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Bedard (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 Bedard mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a carter or transporter of goods, derived from the Old French "bedard". 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 Bedard (1.95 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 surname Bedard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.