Beil last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Beil

A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to an ax maker or hatchet maker.

Beil, 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 Beil surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beil in America

Beil is the 565th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beil surname appeared 59,463 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 20 people would have the surname Beil.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beil 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 565 12347 -182.50%
Count 59,463 2,308 185.05%
Proportion per 100k 20.16 0.86 183.63%

The history of the last name Beil

The surname BEIL originated in the northern German region of the Holy Roman Empire during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "biele," meaning a hill or mound. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived near a prominent hill or raised ground.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the BEIL surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. An entry from 1297 references a "Johannes Beil," indicating the name's presence in that region during that time.

In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the BEIL surname was Johann Beil, a scholar and theologian from the city of Bamberg. He lived from approximately 1420 to 1490 and was known for his writings on ecclesiastical law and canon law.

Another early record of the BEIL name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a compilation of historical documents related to the region of Saxony. An entry from 1521 mentions a "Hans Beil," suggesting the name's continued presence in central Germany during the 16th century.

During the 17th century, a prominent individual with the BEIL surname was Johann Christoph Beil, a German composer and organist born in Nuremberg in 1642. He is known for his contributions to the development of the organ repertoire and his compositions for church services.

In the 18th century, Johann David Beil, born in 1734 in Saxony, was a notable philosopher and professor of logic and metaphysics at the University of Leipzig. His works on rational psychology and the philosophy of mind were influential during the German Enlightenment period.

The BEIL surname has also been associated with certain place names in Germany, such as Beilstein, a town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Beilngries, a town in Bavaria. It is possible that some bearers of the BEIL name may have originated from or been associated with these locations in the past.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beil

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

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 Beil was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 62.10% 36,927
Non-Hispanic Black Only 32.08% 19,076
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.34% 202
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.87% 517
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.29% 1,362
Hispanic Origin 2.33% 1,385

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 62.10% 86.22% -32.52%
Black 32.08% 10.31% 102.71%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.34% 0.69% -67.96%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.87% 0.30% 97.44%
Two or More Races 2.29% 1.13% 67.84%
Hispanic 2.33% 1.34% 53.95%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Beil, 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!

"Beil last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 3, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/beil-surname-popularity/.

"Beil last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/beil-surname-popularity/. Accessed 3 October, 2024

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

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