2000
#11,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,604
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Beesley
An English locational surname derived from any of the various places named Beesley, meaning "bushy clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,262 Americans carry the last name Beesley. That puts it at #10,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beesley 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 Beesley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 105,075
Census rank
#10,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,845 bearers of the surname Beesley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beesley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beesley
The Beesley surname has its origins in England, specifically in the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, derived from the Old English words "beo" meaning bee and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. This suggests that the name was likely initially used to refer to someone who lived near or worked with bees in a meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Beesley name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from the year 1212, where a William de Beuedeshale is mentioned. The name evolved over time, with variations such as Beuedeshal, Beuedeshole, and eventually Beesley becoming more common.
In the 14th century, the Beesley surname appears in the Wigan Court Leet Rolls, which were local administrative records for the town of Wigan in Lancashire. The name is also found in the Lancashire Inquests from the same period, suggesting that the Beesley family was well-established in the region during the Middle Ages.
One notable bearer of the Beesley name was Sir John Beesley (1556-1638), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan in 1597 and 1601. He was also the High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1607.
Another prominent figure was George Beesley (1760-1841), an English engraver and painter who was best known for his mezzotint engravings of portraits and landscapes. He was born in Wolverhampton and was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1818.
In the 19th century, Alfred Beesley (1800-1847) was a British painter and illustrator who specialized in depicting scenes of rural life and landscapes. He was born in London and exhibited his works at the Royal Academy and the British Institution.
The Beesley surname has also been connected to several place names in England, such as Beesley Green in Staffordshire and Beesley Brook in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, further reinforcing the connection between the Beesley family and the areas where they lived and worked.
Throughout history, the Beesley surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, artists, and landowners. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the meadows and clearings of medieval England, where the early Beesleys likely lived and worked with bees.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beesley
Among Census respondents with the surname Beesley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Beesley 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 Beesley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 2,531
- Two or more races4.9% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beesley
Beesley 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
#10,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,956
+352 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 381 places
2020
#10,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,845
-111 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,171 | 2,604 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,790 | 2,956 | 1.00 | +352 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 381 places |
| 2020 | #10,718 | 2,845 | 0.95 | -111 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 72 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 Beesley 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 | #10,790 | #10,718 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,956 | 2,845 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.95 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beesley bearers went from 2,956 to 2,845 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,790 to #10,718.
FAQ
Beesley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beesley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,262 living Americans carry the surname Beesley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,075 residents.
How common is Beesley?
Beesley ranks #10,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,845 people with the surname Beesley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Beesley.
Has Beesley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beesley went from 2,956 recorded bearers to 2,845. That is a decrease of 111 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,790 to #10,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Beesley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beesley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Beesley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (2,531 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beesley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Beesley (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 Beesley mean?
An English locational surname derived from any of the various places named Beesley, meaning "bushy clearing." 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 Beesley (0.95 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 Beesley?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Beesley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.