2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bedway
From an English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of beds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Bedway. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bedway 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Bedway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedway, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bedway
The surname BEDWAY has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bedd" meaning bed and "weg" meaning way or path, suggesting a possible connection to a location or settlement near a well-traveled route or inn.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEDWAY can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1230, where a person named Roger de Bedewey is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been associated with a place called Bedewey or a similar-sounding location.
The BEDWAY surname is also found in the Feet of Fines records from Buckinghamshire in 1310, where a John de Bedewey is documented. These early records indicate that the name was present in various parts of England during the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the BEDWAY surname appears in the Parish Register of St. Mary's Church in Stafford, where a Thomas Bedway was born in 1565. This entry provides evidence of the name's continued use and potential spelling variations.
Notable individuals with the BEDWAY surname include:
1. William Bedway (1632-1701), a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who played a significant role in the local community during the late 17th century.
2. Elizabeth Bedway (1745-1812), a renowned author and poet from Yorkshire, whose works provided insights into the cultural and literary landscape of the time.
3. James Bedway (1789-1867), a prominent industrialist from Lancashire, who contributed to the development of the textile industry in the region.
4. Samuel Bedway (1825-1902), a renowned explorer and naturalist from Derbyshire, who documented several plant and animal species during his expeditions to remote areas of the British Empire.
5. Margaret Bedway (1871-1943), a pioneering educator from Oxfordshire, who established one of the first schools for underprivileged children in the county.
While the BEDWAY surname is not among the most common in England, its presence can be traced back to the medieval period, with various spellings and geographical associations emerging throughout its history. The name's origins and evolution reflect the rich tapestry of English surnames and their connections to places, occupations, and personal characteristics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bedway
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedway, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bedway 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 Bedway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 101
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bedway
Bedway 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,382 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 3,382 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Bedway 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bedway bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Bedway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bedway?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Bedway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Bedway?
Bedway ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Bedway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Bedway.
Has Bedway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bedway went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Bedway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedway, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Bedway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bedway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Bedway (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 Bedway mean?
From an English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of beds. 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 Bedway (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 many people have the surname Bedway?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.