2000
#12,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Beil
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to an ax maker or hatchet maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,825 Americans carry the last name Beil. That puts it at #6,434 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beil 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
5.8K
1 in 58,842
Census rank
#6,434
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,080 bearers of the surname Beil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6434th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beil, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest recorded mentions of the BEIL surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century.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Another early record of the BEIL name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a compilation of historical documents related to the region of Saxony.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beil
Among Census respondents with the surname Beil, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Beil 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 Beil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 3,357
- Black or African American26.7% · 1,358
- Two or more races3.1% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beil
Beil 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
#565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,463
+57,155 bearers (+2476.4%)
Per 100,000 20.16
Rank movement Up 11,782 places
2020
#6,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,080
-54,383 bearers (-91.5%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 5,869 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,347 | 2,308 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #565 | 59,463 | 20.16 | +57,155 bearers (+2476.4%) | Up 11,782 places |
| 2020 | #6,434 | 5,080 | 1.70 | -54,383 bearers (-91.5%) | Down 5,869 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 Beil 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 | #565 | #6,434 | -1038.8% |
| Count | 59,463 | 5,080 | -91.5% |
| Per 100K | 20.16 | 1.70 | -91.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beil bearers went from 59,463 to 5,080 (-91.5% change). The surname moved down 5,869 positions in the national ranking, going from #565 to #6,434.
FAQ
Beil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beil?
Name Census estimates that about 5,825 living Americans carry the surname Beil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,842 residents.
How common is Beil?
Beil ranks #6,434 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,080 people with the surname Beil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,825), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Beil.
Has Beil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beil went from 59,463 recorded bearers to 5,080. That is a decrease of 54,383 (-91.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #565 to #6,434.
What does the Census say about the background of Beil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beil, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Beil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (3,357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Black (26.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Beil (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 Beil mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to an ax maker or hatchet maker. 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 Beil (1.70 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 share the surname Beil?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.