2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Beguhl
An Anglicized variant of the German surname "Beygel" or "Beugel", it may have referred to an occupation involving curving or bending objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Beguhl. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beguhl 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Beguhl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beguhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beguhl
The surname BEGUHL is believed to have originated in Germany during the early medieval period, likely between the 9th and 12th centuries. It is thought to have derived from the Old High German word "begiu," which means "to pursue or strive for." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone with a determined or ambitious nature.
The earliest known records of the BEGUHL name can be traced back to the region of Bavaria, where it was commonly found in various village and town records. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents, dating back to the year 1154. Here, a certain "Beguhlus de Ratisbona" (BEGUHL of Regensburg) is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 13th century, the BEGUHL name appears in the Liber Censuum, a tax record compiled by the Catholic Church. This document lists a "Johannes Beguhl" as a landowner in the village of Altomünster, near Munich. Around the same time, a "Heinricus Beguhl" is recorded as a member of the local militia in the town of Landshut.
As the centuries passed, the BEGUHL name continued to spread throughout different regions of Germany. In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans BEGUHL (1432-1498) was a prominent merchant and guild member in the city of Nuremberg. His son, Balthasar BEGUHL (1462-1521), followed in his footsteps and became a respected trader and financier.
In the 16th century, the BEGUHL name appeared in various church records and legal documents across southern Germany. One such record from 1589 mentions a "Matthias Beguhl" as a landowner in the village of Amberg, near the border with the Czech Republic.
Another notable figure from this era was Johann BEGUHL (1541-1612), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in the town of Hersbruck. He was known for his scholarly writings and his efforts to promote education in the region.
As the BEGUHL name spread across Germany and into neighboring countries, it sometimes took on slightly different spellings, such as "Begühl" or "Beghul." However, the core pronunciation and meaning remained largely unchanged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beguhl
Among Census respondents with the surname Beguhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Beguhl 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 Beguhl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 9
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beguhl
Beguhl 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+11 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,075 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 2,075 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 4,386 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 Beguhl 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 | #147,253 | #151,639 | -3.0% |
| Count | 112 | 107 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beguhl bearers went from 112 to 107 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 4,386 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #151,639.
FAQ
Beguhl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beguhl?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Beguhl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Beguhl?
Beguhl ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Beguhl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Beguhl.
Has Beguhl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beguhl went from 112 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Beguhl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beguhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Beguhl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beguhl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (8.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Beguhl (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 Beguhl mean?
An Anglicized variant of the German surname "Beygel" or "Beugel", it may have referred to an occupation involving curving or bending objects. 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 Beguhl (0.04 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 Beguhl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Beguhl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.