2000
#4,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,738
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.50
Rare Last name
Beeson
Derived from a place name meaning "bee enclosure" or an occupational name for a beekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,563 Americans carry the last name Beeson. That puts it at #5,130 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,320 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beeson 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 Beeson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,320
Census rank
#5,130
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,595 bearers of the surname Beeson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5130th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beeson
The surname Beeson is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "beo" meaning bee and "tun" meaning an enclosure or farm, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a bee enclosure or apiary.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a John de Beston, and the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1310, which refers to a William Beyston.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Beston, Beyston, and Beeston, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The spelling "Beeson" emerged later, possibly as a result of the Norman influence on English language and pronunciation.
One notable early bearer of the name was John Beeston, a 16th-century English actor and playwright who was a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, the company that produced many of Shakespeare's plays. He was born around 1550 and died in 1620.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Beeston, an English naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of Jamaica from 1692 to 1699. He was born in 1636 and died in 1701.
In the 18th century, the Beeson family established itself in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire. One notable member was Reverend Joseph Beeson, a clergyman and author who was born in 1751 and died in 1828.
The 19th century saw the name spread further across England and beyond. William Beeson, born in 1809 and died in 1875, was a prominent English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Another significant figure was Henry Ward Beecher, an American Congregationalist clergyman and social reformer, who was born in 1813 and died in 1887. Although his surname was spelled differently, it is believed to share a common ancestry with the Beeson name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beeson
Among Census respondents with the surname Beeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Beeson 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 Beeson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 5,925
- Two or more races4.0% · 262
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 253
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 52
- Black or African American0.6% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beeson
Beeson 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
#5,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,952
+214 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 259 places
2020
#5,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,595
-357 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,788 | 6,738 | 2.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,047 | 6,952 | 2.36 | +214 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 259 places |
| 2020 | #5,130 | 6,595 | 2.21 | -357 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 83 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 Beeson 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 | #5,047 | #5,130 | -1.6% |
| Count | 6,952 | 6,595 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.36 | 2.21 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beeson bearers went from 6,952 to 6,595 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,047 to #5,130.
FAQ
Beeson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beeson?
Name Census estimates that about 7,563 living Americans carry the surname Beeson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,320 residents.
How common is Beeson?
Beeson ranks #5,130 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.21 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 6,595 people with the surname Beeson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,563), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.21 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 Beeson.
Has Beeson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beeson went from 6,952 recorded bearers to 6,595. That is a decrease of 357 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,047 to #5,130.
What does the Census say about the background of Beeson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Beeson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (5,925 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beeson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Beeson (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 Beeson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bee enclosure" or an occupational name for a beekeeper. 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 Beeson (2.21 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 Beeson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.