2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bedley
A locational surname derived from a place name, likely from an area in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Bedley. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bedley 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 Bedley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Bedley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bedley
The surname Bedley is believed to have originated in England, particularly in the county of Yorkshire. It is thought to derive from the Old English words "bede," meaning prayer, and "leah," meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. This suggests that the name may have referred to a meadow or clearing where religious services or prayers were held.
Records indicate that the Bedley surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Yorkshire. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1297, where a person named William de Bedelay is mentioned.
The name Bedley is also closely associated with the village of Bedlam in West Yorkshire, which was once spelled as "Bedelawe" or "Bedlowe." It is possible that the surname originated from this place name, with early bearers of the name hailing from this area.
During the Middle Ages, the Bedley name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in the 14th century. Some notable individuals with the Bedley surname from this period include John Bedley, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, and Robert Bedley, mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1428.
In the 16th century, the Bedley surname gained prominence with the rise of the Bedley family in Yorkshire. One notable member was Richard Bedley (c. 1510-1580), a wealthy landowner and merchant who served as the Mayor of York in 1568.
Another notable figure was Sir William Bedley (1560-1632), a member of the English gentry and a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in the early 17th century. He was also a supporter of the English Civil War and fought on the side of the Parliamentarians.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bedley surname spread beyond Yorkshire to other parts of England, as well as to Ireland and Scotland. One notable bearer of the name was Captain John Bedley (1640-1705), an English naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
In the 19th century, the Bedley surname continued to be found in various parts of the United Kingdom. One prominent individual was Reverend Thomas Bedley (1790-1868), an English clergyman and author who served as the Vicar of Eccleshill in Yorkshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bedley
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bedley 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 Bedley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 76
- Black or African American12.3% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 8
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bedley
Bedley 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,119 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,568 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,119 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 2,568 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 Bedley 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 | #154,907 | #152,339 | 1.7% |
| Count | 105 | 106 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bedley bearers went from 105 to 106 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 2,568 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #152,339.
FAQ
Bedley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bedley?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Bedley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Bedley?
Bedley ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Bedley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bedley.
Has Bedley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bedley went from 105 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Bedley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedley, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Bedley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bedley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (12.3%), Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Bedley (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 Bedley mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name, likely from an area in England. 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 Bedley (0.04 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 common is the surname Bedley?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Bedley is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.