Beers last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Beers

Derived from Middle English "bere," referring to someone who lived near a grove or wood of berry-bearing trees.

Beers, 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 Beers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beers in America

Beers is the 3268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beers surname appeared 11,043 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Beers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beers 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 3268 3048 6.97%
Count 11,043 10,908 1.23%
Proportion per 100k 3.74 4.04 -7.71%

The history of the last name Beers

The surname "BEERS" is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged as an occupational name in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "bere," meaning barley, and it was likely initially given to someone involved in the production or trade of beer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Bere" in this historical document, suggesting that it was already in use by that time.

During the medieval period, the surname was often associated with individuals living in or near areas known for brewing or barley cultivation. For instance, the village of Bere Regis in Dorset, England, was once a prominent center for brewing, and it is possible that some individuals from this region adopted the surname "BEERS."

As the surname evolved over time, various spellings emerged, including "Beer," "Bere," and "Bere." These variations were not uncommon, as spelling conventions were not standardized until much later.

One notable figure with the surname "BEERS" was John Beers (1579-1667), an English colonist who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century. He is considered one of the founders of the town of Stratford, Connecticut, and his descendants went on to play influential roles in the development of the region.

Another individual of historical significance was Richard Beers (1743-1825), an American revolutionary soldier who fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was awarded a prestigious military honor, the Badge of Military Merit, for his bravery and service.

In the literary realm, Henry Addington Beers (1847-1926) was a renowned American educator, critic, and author. He served as a professor of English literature at Yale University and wrote several influential works on literary criticism, including "A History of English Romanticism in the Nineteenth Century."

The surname "BEERS" can also be traced back to prominent figures in the arts and sciences. For example, William Beers (1841-1900) was an American painter known for his landscape and genre scenes, while Clifford Whittingham Beers (1876-1943) was a pioneering mental health advocate whose autobiographical work, "A Mind That Found Itself," helped shape the modern mental health movement.

Throughout history, the surname "BEERS" has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, from early settlers and soldiers to scholars and artists. While its origins can be traced back to the brewing and barley trades of medieval England, the name has since spread across the globe, carrying with it a rich tapestry of stories and experiences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beers

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

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 Beers was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.60% 10,447
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.34% 38
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.54% 60
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.43% 47
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.63% 180
Hispanic Origin 2.45% 271

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 Beers has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.60% 95.90% -1.36%
Black 0.34% 0.37% -8.45%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.54% 0.60% -10.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.43% 0.37% 15.00%
Two or More Races 1.63% 1.38% 16.61%
Hispanic 2.45% 1.39% 55.21%

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 Beers was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Beers last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/beers-surname-popularity/.

"Beers last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/beers-surname-popularity/. Accessed 14 December, 2024

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

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