2000
#10,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Beery
Derived from the Middle High German word "bier," referring to a brewer or someone who sells beer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,595 Americans carry the last name Beery. That puts it at #9,841 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beery 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.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,342
Census rank
#9,841
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,135 bearers of the surname Beery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9841st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beery
The surname Beery has its origins in England and is believed to have originated from the Old English words "bere" meaning barley and "ærn" meaning a place or house. This suggests that the name may have referred to a place where barley was grown or stored.
The earliest known record of the name Beery dates back to the 13th century in the county of Somerset, England. In the Pipe Rolls of 1230, a Richard de la Berye is mentioned, which is likely an early spelling variation of the name.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with records indicating a John Bery in Cambridgeshire in 1327 and a William Bery in Oxfordshire in 1379. These variations in spelling were common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
The name Beery can also be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholders in England after the Norman Conquest. An entry for a place called "Berie" in Gloucestershire is believed to be related to the surname.
One notable figure with the surname Beery was Sir John Beery (1530-1601), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his philanthropic work and endowed several charitable institutions.
Another prominent individual was Reverend Josiah Beery (1678-1743), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Waltham St. Lawrence in Berkshire. He published several religious works during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the surname Beery was also found in Scotland, with records indicating a William Beery born in Glasgow in 1823. This may suggest that some branches of the Beery family had migrated from England to Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Beery in the United States was that of Jacob Beery, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in 1749. This could indicate that the name may have had some German roots or that it was adopted by German immigrants.
William Beery (1838-1914), a Union Army veteran of the American Civil War and later a prominent businessman in Ohio, is another noteworthy figure with this surname.
While the surname Beery is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, with possible connections to places associated with barley cultivation and storage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beery
Among Census respondents with the surname Beery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Beery 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 Beery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 2,865
- Two or more races3.0% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 81
- Black or African American1.6% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beery
Beery 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
#9,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,421
+505 bearers (+17.3%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 658 places
2020
#9,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,135
-286 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,159 | 2,916 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,501 | 3,421 | 1.16 | +505 bearers (+17.3%) | Up 658 places |
| 2020 | #9,841 | 3,135 | 1.05 | -286 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 340 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 Beery 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 | #9,501 | #9,841 | -3.6% |
| Count | 3,421 | 3,135 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.05 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beery bearers went from 3,421 to 3,135 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 340 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,501 to #9,841.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Beery
FAQ
Beery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beery?
Name Census estimates that about 3,595 living Americans carry the surname Beery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,342 residents.
How common is Beery?
Beery ranks #9,841 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,135 people with the surname Beery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,595), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Beery.
Has Beery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beery went from 3,421 recorded bearers to 3,135. That is a decrease of 286 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,501 to #9,841.
What does the Census say about the background of Beery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Beery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (2,865 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Beery (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 Beery mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "bier," referring to a brewer or someone who sells beer. 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 Beery (1.05 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 have the last name Beery?
Find out how many people have the last name Beery on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.