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

Beh, 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 Beh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beh in America

Beh is the 42308th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beh surname appeared 513 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Beh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beh 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.

The history of the last name Beh

The surname "Beh" has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "beie," which means "a hive or a swarm of bees." The name was likely given to someone who lived near a beehive or worked as a beekeeper.

Early records of the name can be found in various medieval documents from the German regions of Saxony and Thuringia. One of the earliest recorded instances was in a land registry from the town of Erfurt in 1287, where a certain "Johannes Beh" was listed as a landowner.

By the 15th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, with variations in spelling such as "Behe," "Behe," and "Behe." In 1492, a manuscript from the city of Nuremberg mentioned a "Hans Behe," who was a prominent merchant and trader in the region.

During the 16th century, the name gained prominence in the northern German states, particularly in the areas around Hamburg and Bremen. Notable individuals with the surname include Johann Beh (1537-1612), a renowned theologian and professor at the University of Rostock, and Christoph Beh (1578-1648), a renowned jurist and legal scholar from the city of Lübeck.

In the 17th century, the name found its way to the Netherlands, where it was often spelled as "Beeh" or "Bey." One of the earliest recorded instances was in a church register from the city of Amsterdam in 1624, which listed the baptism of a child named "Pieter Beeh."

As the name spread across Europe, it also made its way to England, where it was often anglicized to "Bee" or "Bees." In the 18th century, there were several notable figures with this surname, including John Bee (1725-1807), a prominent English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London.

Other notable individuals with the surname "Beh" include Friedrich Beh (1818-1892), a German composer and music educator; Ernst Beh (1863-1939), a German painter and illustrator; and Hermann Beh (1890-1952), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beh

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

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 Beh was:

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

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

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

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