Beddow last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Beddow

An English locational surname derived from Old English for a place name meaning bede (prayer) and hyll (hill).

Beddow, 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 Beddow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beddow in America

Beddow is the 25102nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beddow surname appeared 989 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Beddow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beddow 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 25102 23501 6.59%
Count 989 1,008 -1.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.34 0.37 -8.45%

The history of the last name Beddow

The surname Beddow is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a place name such as Beddow or Bedew, possibly referring to a meadow or a marshy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Bedeu" or "Bedewe." This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show variations of the name such as "Bedou" and "Beddowe." These spelling variations were common during this period, as standardized spelling was not yet widely established.

An early bearer of the name was John Beddow, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. This historical document recorded individuals who were required to pay taxes, providing valuable insight into the distribution of surnames in England at that time.

Another notable figure was Richard Beddow, born around 1550, who served as a member of the British East India Company in the late 16th century. His exploits and travels during this era helped further spread the name across various regions.

In the 17th century, the Beddow surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. One prominent individual from this period was William Beddow (1622-1696), a clergyman who served as the Rector of Whitchurch in Shropshire.

During the 18th century, the name continued to be found in various parts of England, with records indicating that some Beddows migrated to other parts of the British Isles, such as Scotland and Ireland.

A notable figure from this era was John Beddow (1730-1808), a renowned English engraver and cartographer who produced several detailed maps and charts of various regions.

As time progressed, the surname spread across the globe, with Beddows found in various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other English-speaking countries.

One of the most famous bearers of the Beddow name was Sir William Beddow (1842-1917), a British industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the coal mining industry in South Wales.

Overall, the surname Beddow has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, with its origins likely rooted in locational names or place names related to meadows or marshy areas. Despite various spelling variations throughout the centuries, the name has endured and spread across the globe, with notable individuals bearing the Beddow surname contributing to various fields and endeavors.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beddow

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

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 Beddow was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.12% 921
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.71% 7
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.13% 31
Hispanic Origin 2.63% 26

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 Beddow has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.12% 95.34% -2.36%
Black (S)% 0.50% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.71% 1.29% -58.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 3.13% 0.79% 119.39%
Hispanic 2.63% 2.08% 23.35%

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 Beddow was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Beddow last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 26, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/beddow-surname-popularity/.

"Beddow last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/beddow-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 July, 2024

Beddow last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/beddow-surname-popularity/.

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