2000
#6,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Beecher
An occupational surname for a beekeeper or seller of beeswax and honey.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,855 Americans carry the last name Beecher. That puts it at #6,405 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,540 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beecher 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 Beecher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,540
Census rank
#6,405
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,106 bearers of the surname Beecher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6405th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beecher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beecher
The surname Beecher originates from England, where it first appeared in the 12th century as an occupational name for a beekeeper or honey seller. It is derived from the Old English word "beo-cere," which translates to "bee-keeper."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Beecher surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1195, where it is spelled as "Becher." The name was also present in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were records of landowners in England.
During the Middle Ages, the Beecher family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Oxfordshire. Some variations of the spelling include Beacher, Becher, and Beechere.
In the 16th century, the Beecher surname appeared in the records of the Manor of Maddresfield in Worcestershire, where a family of Beechers held land and property.
One notable figure in history with the Beecher name was Lyman Beecher (1775-1863), an American Presbyterian minister, and leader of the Second Great Awakening religious revival movement. He was also the father of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of the renowned anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
Another well-known Beecher was Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), a prominent American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and abolitionist. He was also a renowned orator and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe.
In the 19th century, the Beecher family played a significant role in the anti-slavery movement in the United States. Thomas K. Beecher (1824-1900), a minister and educator, was an active abolitionist and a supporter of the Union cause during the American Civil War.
Another notable figure with the Beecher surname was Sir Eric Stuart Beecher (1884-1955), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 1937 to 1942.
Lastly, William H. Beecher (1849-1935) was an American lawyer and businessman who served as the president of the Boston and Maine Railroad from 1899 to 1912.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beecher
Among Census respondents with the surname Beecher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Beecher 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 Beecher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 4,285
- Black or African American7.1% · 362
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 209
- Two or more races2.8% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beecher
Beecher 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
#5,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,755
+487 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Up 35 places
2020
#6,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,106
-649 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,013 | 5,268 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,978 | 5,755 | 1.95 | +487 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 35 places |
| 2020 | #6,405 | 5,106 | 1.71 | -649 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 427 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 Beecher 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 | #5,978 | #6,405 | -7.1% |
| Count | 5,755 | 5,106 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.95 | 1.71 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beecher bearers went from 5,755 to 5,106 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 427 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,978 to #6,405.
FAQ
Beecher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beecher?
Name Census estimates that about 5,855 living Americans carry the surname Beecher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,540 residents.
How common is Beecher?
Beecher ranks #6,405 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 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 5,106 people with the surname Beecher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,855), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 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 Beecher.
Has Beecher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beecher went from 5,755 recorded bearers to 5,106. That is a decrease of 649 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,978 to #6,405.
What does the Census say about the background of Beecher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beecher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Beecher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (4,285 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beecher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Beecher (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 Beecher mean?
An occupational surname for a beekeeper or seller of beeswax and honey. 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 Beecher (1.71 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 share the surname Beecher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.