Beeny last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Beeny is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Beeny.

Meaning of Beeny

A variant spelling of the English surname "BEENE", derived from an Old English term meaning "dweller near the bees".

Beeny, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Beeny surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beeny in America

Beeny is the 96799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beeny surname appeared 188 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Beeny.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beeny to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 96799 91801 5.30%
Count 188 186 1.07%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.07 -15.38%

The history of the last name Beeny

The surname Beeny is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known records dating back to the late 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "bene," which means "bean" or "bean-field," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who cultivated or sold beans.

One of the earliest known mentions of the name Beeny is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where a person named John Bene is listed. This record provides evidence that the name was already in use by that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Bene, Beane, and Beny, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in that era. For example, records from the Court of Common Pleas in 1367 mention a Robert Bene from Oxfordshire.

The Beeny surname has also been associated with several place names in England, particularly in areas where the name was more prevalent. For instance, there is a village called Beeney in Worcestershire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.

Historically, the Beeny family has produced several notable individuals, including:

  1. John Beeny (c. 1550 - 1615), an English playwright and poet known for his works such as "The Maid's Metamorphosis" and "A Courtly Controversy of Cupid's Cautels."
  2. William Beeny (1608 - 1677), a renowned English botanist and herbalist who published several influential works on medicinal plants and their uses.
  3. Elizabeth Beeny (1670 - 1738), a prominent Quaker minister and author who wrote extensively on religious topics and advocated for women's rights in the Society of Friends.
  4. Richard Beeny (1783 - 1856), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a member of Parliament.
  5. Thomas Beeny (1825 - 1901), a respected English architect who designed numerous churches, schools, and public buildings across the country.

While the surname Beeny may not be as common today as it once was, its historical roots and associations with various occupations and notable individuals make it a fascinating name to explore.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beeny

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Beeny.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Beeny was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 98.94% 186
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Beeny has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 98.94% 99.46% -0.52%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Beeny was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Beeny, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Beeny last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 27, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/beeny-surname-popularity/.

"Beeny last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/beeny-surname-popularity/. Accessed 27 July, 2024

Beeny last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/beeny-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.