2000
#27,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Beidler
A German occupational surname for a town crier or messenger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 945 Americans carry the last name Beidler. That puts it at #30,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 362,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beidler 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
945
1 in 362,703
Census rank
#30,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
824
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 824 bearers of the surname Beidler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beidler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beidler
The surname Beidler is believed to have originated in Germany. It is likely derived from the German word "Beitler," which means a basket maker or someone who weaves baskets. This occupation-based surname suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were involved in the basket-making trade.
The earliest known record of the Beidler surname dates back to the 16th century in the region of Franconia, a historic region in modern-day Bavaria, Germany. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Beidler, Beitler, and Beideler, reflecting the variations in local dialects and record-keeping practices.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Beidler surname was Hans Beidler, born around 1550 in Nuremberg, a city in the Franconian region of Germany. He was a skilled basket weaver and is mentioned in local guild records from that time.
In the 17th century, the name Beidler can be found in the records of several German towns and villages, indicating the spread of the surname across different regions. For instance, there are records of a Beidler family residing in the town of Erlangen, located in the present-day state of Bavaria.
The Beidler surname also appeared in some historical manuscripts and records from the 18th century. One notable example is the mention of a Johann Beidler (1720-1784) in the church records of Heidelberg, a city in the southwestern region of Germany.
As the Beidler family spread across different parts of Germany and Europe, some members of the family emigrated to other countries, including the United States. One of the earliest known Beidlers to arrive in America was Johannes Beidler, who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 18th century.
Another notable figure with the Beidler surname was Christian Beidler (1785-1868), a German-born American farmer and politician from Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the early 19th century.
In the 19th century, the Beidler surname can be found in various parts of the United States, particularly in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, where many German immigrants settled.
Overall, the surname Beidler has a rich history rooted in the German tradition of basket-making, and its bearers have made contributions in various fields, from craftsmanship to politics, across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beidler
Among Census respondents with the surname Beidler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Beidler 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 Beidler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 750
- Two or more races5.0% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beidler
Beidler 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
#28,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 820
+11 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 1,043 places
2020
#30,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 824
+4 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 1,398 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,924 | 809 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,967 | 820 | 0.28 | +11 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 1,043 places |
| 2020 | #30,365 | 824 | 0.28 | +4 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 1,398 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 Beidler 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 | #28,967 | #30,365 | -4.8% |
| Count | 820 | 824 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.28 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beidler bearers went from 820 to 824 (+0.5% change). The surname moved down 1,398 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,967 to #30,365.
FAQ
Beidler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beidler?
Name Census estimates that about 945 living Americans carry the surname Beidler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 362,703 residents.
How common is Beidler?
Beidler ranks #30,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 824 people with the surname Beidler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (945), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Beidler.
Has Beidler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beidler went from 820 recorded bearers to 824. That is an increase of 4 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,967 to #30,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Beidler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beidler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Beidler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (750 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beidler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Beidler (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 Beidler mean?
A German occupational surname for a town crier or messenger. 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 Beidler (0.28 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 are called Beidler?
Find out how many people have the last name Beidler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.