2000
#7,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,363
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Bedwell
An English locational surname derived from any of several places named Bedwell, likely referring to a spring or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,780 Americans carry the last name Bedwell. That puts it at #7,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,706 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bedwell 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 Bedwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,706
Census rank
#7,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,168 bearers of the surname Bedwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bedwell
The surname Bedwell is of English origin, derived from a combination of two Old English words: "bed" meaning "prayer" and "well" meaning "stream" or "spring." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where people would gather for religious ceremonies or rituals near a stream or natural spring.
The earliest recorded instances of the Bedwell name can be traced back to the 13th century in various counties of England, including Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Essex. The name is believed to have originated as a topographic surname, referring to a specific location or geographic feature associated with a stream or well used for religious or spiritual purposes.
One of the earliest known references to the Bedwell surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Bedfordshire from the year 1309, which mentions a Johannes de Bedwell. This record provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during the medieval period.
In the 16th century, the Bedwell surname gained prominence through the life of William Bedwell (1561-1632), an English scholar and linguist who was proficient in Arabic and Persian languages. He was appointed as a lecturer in Arabic at the University of Cambridge and contributed to the translation of the Bible into Arabic.
Another notable figure with the Bedwell surname is Thomas Bedwell (1601-1663), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Littlington in Cambridgeshire. He is known for his work titled "The Whole System of Divinity," published in 1654.
In the 18th century, John Bedwell (1700-1774) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire from 1741 to 1747. He was also a prominent landowner and held the position of Recorder of Hertford.
During the 19th century, Henry Bedwell (1825-1897) was a notable English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club. He was a right-handed batsman and served as the club's secretary for several years.
In more recent times, Sir Kenneth Bedwell (1919-2002) was a distinguished British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of the Falkland Islands from 1977 to 1980 and later as the Governor of Bermuda from 1983 to 1988.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bedwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bedwell 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 Bedwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 3,773
- Two or more races4.5% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 118
- Black or African American0.8% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bedwell
Bedwell 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
#7,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,276
-87 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 694 places
2020
#7,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,168
-108 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,068 | 4,363 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,762 | 4,276 | 1.45 | -87 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 694 places |
| 2020 | #7,657 | 4,168 | 1.39 | -108 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 105 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 Bedwell 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 | #7,762 | #7,657 | 1.4% |
| Count | 4,276 | 4,168 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.39 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bedwell bearers went from 4,276 to 4,168 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,762 to #7,657.
FAQ
Bedwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bedwell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,780 living Americans carry the surname Bedwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,706 residents.
How common is Bedwell?
Bedwell ranks #7,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,168 people with the surname Bedwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,780), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bedwell.
Has Bedwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bedwell went from 4,276 recorded bearers to 4,168. That is a decrease of 108 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,762 to #7,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Bedwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bedwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bedwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (3,773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bedwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bedwell (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 Bedwell mean?
An English locational surname derived from any of several places named Bedwell, likely referring to a spring or stream. 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 Bedwell (1.39 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 are called Bedwell?
Find out how many people have the last name Bedwell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.