2000
#5,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.15
Rare Last name
Bedell
An occupational surname referring to a beadle, an official who maintains order in church or court.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,423 Americans carry the last name Bedell. That puts it at #5,927 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,364 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bedell 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 Bedell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,364
Census rank
#5,927
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,601 bearers of the surname Bedell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5927th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bedell
The surname Bedell has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "bedel," which means a messenger or a herald. The name likely referred to someone who held the position of a messenger or a crier in a medieval court or a manor.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bedellus." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.
In the 12th century, the name Bedell was prevalent in the county of Norfolk, England. Several records from this period mention individuals with this surname, such as William Bedel, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1199.
During the 13th century, the name Bedell spread to other parts of England, particularly in the counties of Suffolk, Essex, and Hertfordshire. One notable individual from this period was John Bedell, who was recorded as a landowner in Suffolk in the Hundred Rolls of 1273.
In the 14th century, the name Bedell appeared in various spellings, including Bedel, Bedill, and Beadell. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was William Bedell (1571-1642), an Anglican clergyman who served as the Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh in Ireland.
The 16th century saw the rise of another prominent figure named Gregory Bedell (1510-1551), who was a Roman Catholic priest and martyred during the English Reformation under the reign of Edward VI.
During the 17th century, the Bedell surname gained further recognition with the birth of William Bedell (1613-1693), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh, following in the footsteps of his namesake from the previous century.
Another notable individual with this surname was John Bedell (1633-1686), an English philosopher and theologian who was a follower of René Descartes and wrote extensively on metaphysics and ethics.
As the centuries progressed, the Bedell surname continued to be prevalent across various regions of England, with some members of the family migrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bedell
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bedell 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 Bedell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 4,408
- Black or African American10.2% · 572
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 248
- Two or more races4.3% · 239
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bedell
Bedell 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
#5,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,989
+195 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#5,927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,601
-388 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,514 | 5,794 | 2.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,783 | 5,989 | 2.03 | +195 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #5,927 | 5,601 | 1.87 | -388 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 144 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 Bedell 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 | #5,783 | #5,927 | -2.5% |
| Count | 5,989 | 5,601 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.87 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bedell bearers went from 5,989 to 5,601 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,783 to #5,927.
FAQ
Bedell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bedell?
Name Census estimates that about 6,423 living Americans carry the surname Bedell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,364 residents.
How common is Bedell?
Bedell ranks #5,927 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 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 5,601 people with the surname Bedell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,423), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 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 Bedell.
Has Bedell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bedell went from 5,989 recorded bearers to 5,601. That is a decrease of 388 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,783 to #5,927.
What does the Census say about the background of Bedell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Bedell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (4,408 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bedell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Black (10.2%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Bedell (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 Bedell mean?
An occupational surname referring to a beadle, an official who maintains order in church or court. 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 Bedell (1.87 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 Americans have the surname Bedell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.