Behles last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Behles

A surname of German origin likely derived from a dialectal word meaning "dwelling."

Behles, 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 Behles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Behles in America

Behles is the 97210th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Behles surname appeared 187 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 Behles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Behles 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 97210 94227 3.12%
Count 187 180 3.81%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.07 -15.38%

The history of the last name Behles

The surname BEHLES originated in Germany during the medieval period, around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "behlen," which meant "to shout" or "to call out." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with a loud voice or who worked as a town crier.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEHLES can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dated back to the 13th century. In this record, a person named "Henricus Behles" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.

During the 16th century, the BEHLES name appeared in various town records and church registers throughout central and southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony, Thuringia, and Bavaria. One notable example is Johannes BEHLES (1524-1591), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony, who played a role in the Protestant Reformation.

In the 17th century, the BEHLES surname spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and France, likely due to migration and trade. One prominent figure was Pieter BEHLES (1635-1699), a Dutch merchant and ship owner who established a successful trading company in Amsterdam.

The 18th century saw the BEHLES name appear in historical records across various regions of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One notable individual from this period was Johann Friedrich BEHLES (1767-1838), a German composer and music theorist from Thuringia.

During the 19th century, the BEHLES surname continued to be found in various parts of Europe, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. One significant figure was Karl BEHLES (1801-1875), a German philosopher and writer from Saxony, who wrote extensively on topics such as ethics and metaphysics.

While the BEHLES surname has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, this report focuses solely on the historical background and origins of the surname, particularly in its country of origin and the surrounding regions of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Behles

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

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 Behles was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.33% 182
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.33% 97.22% 0.11%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% 0.00% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Behles last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 26, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/behles-surname-popularity/.

"Behles last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/behles-surname-popularity/. Accessed 26 July, 2024

Behles last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/behles-surname-popularity/.

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