2000
#7,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,987
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Beech
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a beech tree or beech forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,447 Americans carry the last name Beech. That puts it at #8,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beech 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 Beech with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,075
Census rank
#8,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,878 bearers of the surname Beech in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beech, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beech
The surname "Beech" is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "bece," which means "beech tree." The name likely originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a prominent beech tree or in an area with an abundance of beech trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "de Bece" or "de la Beche." This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as "Beche," "Bech," or "Beche." These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
In the 13th century, there are records of a family named Beech residing in Berkshire, England. One notable member was Sir John de la Beche, who served as Lord Chancellor of England in the late 1200s.
Another significant figure was Edmond Beche, an English clergyman who lived in the 15th century and served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1453 to 1465.
Sir Henry Beech (1520-1587) was a prominent lawyer and politician during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and was knighted in 1577.
John Beech (1580-1638) was an English clergyman and scholar who became the Bishop of Hereford in 1629. He was well-known for his contributions to theological literature.
Sir William Beechey (1753-1839) was a renowned English portrait painter who served as the principal painter to Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. He was elected as a member of the Royal Academy in 1798.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the surname "Beech" throughout history, illustrating the long-standing presence of this name in England and its association with various professions and social classes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beech
Among Census respondents with the surname Beech, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Beech 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 Beech surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 3,209
- Black or African American8.7% · 338
- Two or more races3.9% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beech
Beech 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
#7,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,160
+173 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#8,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,878
-282 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 227 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,697 | 3,987 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,955 | 4,160 | 1.41 | +173 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #8,182 | 3,878 | 1.30 | -282 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 227 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 Beech 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 | #7,955 | #8,182 | -2.9% |
| Count | 4,160 | 3,878 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.30 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beech bearers went from 4,160 to 3,878 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 227 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,955 to #8,182.
FAQ
Beech surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beech?
Name Census estimates that about 4,447 living Americans carry the surname Beech. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,075 residents.
How common is Beech?
Beech ranks #8,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,878 people with the surname Beech. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,447), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Beech.
Has Beech become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beech went from 4,160 recorded bearers to 3,878. That is a decrease of 282 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,955 to #8,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Beech?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beech, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Beech in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (3,209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beech appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (8.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Beech (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 Beech mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a beech tree or beech forest. 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 Beech (1.30 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 Beech?
If you just want to know how many people are called Beech, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.