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

Bei, 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 Bei surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bei in America

Bei is the 77264th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bei surname appeared 248 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 Bei.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bei 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 Bei

The surname Bei originated in China, where it has been documented since ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese character "贝" (bei), which means "cowry shell" or "small shell." Cowry shells were once widely used as currency in parts of China and other regions of Asia.

In the 7th century AD, the Bei surname appeared in the Tangshu, a historical record of the Tang Dynasty. This suggests the name had already been established by that era. Over time, various spelling variations emerged, such as Bai and Pei, reflecting regional dialect differences in Chinese pronunciation.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Bei surname was Bei Xuan, a prominent calligrapher and scholar who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). His works are highly regarded in the history of Chinese calligraphy.

Another notable figure was Bei Qi (1272-1345), a renowned Chinese Neo-Confucian philosopher and writer during the Yuan Dynasty. His influential works contributed to the development of Neo-Confucian thought.

In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Bei surname was associated with several notable figures, including Bei Ziyuan (1564-1644), a celebrated painter and poet known for his landscape paintings.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), Bei Zhaonan (1730-1804) was a prominent scholar and official who served as a grand secretary and contributed to the compilation of the Siku Quanshu, one of the largest literary collections in Chinese history.

In more recent times, Bei Dao (born 1949) is a highly acclaimed Chinese poet and writer who rose to prominence during the Misty Poets movement of the 1970s and remains an influential voice in contemporary Chinese literature.

While the Bei surname has ancient roots in China, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange, reflecting the rich diversity of Chinese surnames and their enduring historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bei

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

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

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

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