2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Beilsmith
A surname derived from a place name referring to a smithy or forge location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Beilsmith. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beilsmith 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Beilsmith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beilsmith, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beilsmith
The surname Beilsmith has its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. The name is believed to have derived from the German words "beil," meaning "axe," and "schmied," meaning "smith," suggesting an occupational origin for a blacksmith or axe-maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Beilsmith name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, where a person named Johannes Beilsmith was mentioned in a document dated 1412.
In the 16th century, the Beilsmith name appeared in various records throughout German-speaking regions, such as the Palatinate and Bavaria. During this time, variations in spelling were common, including Beilschmidt, Beilschmid, and Beilschmitt.
A notable figure bearing the Beilsmith name was Johann Georg Beilsmith (1732-1808), a German theologian and author from Württemberg. He wrote several works on religious topics, including a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
In the 19th century, the Beilsmith surname was found in various parts of Germany, as well as in areas where German settlers had migrated, such as the United States and Canada. One example is John Beilsmith (1838-1905), a German-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1890 to 1892.
Another prominent individual with the Beilsmith name was Karl Friedrich Beilstein (1838-1906), a Russian chemist of German descent. He is best known for his work on the Beilstein Handbook, a comprehensive reference work on organic chemistry that bears his name.
Other notable figures include August Beilsmith (1864-1945), a German-American architect who designed several buildings in Milwaukee, and Friedrich Beilstein (1877-1945), a German politician and member of the Nazi party during the Third Reich.
While the Beilsmith name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants bearing this surname found in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beilsmith
Among Census respondents with the surname Beilsmith, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Beilsmith 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 Beilsmith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beilsmith
Beilsmith 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+9 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 612 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 612 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,600 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 Beilsmith 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 | #136,449 | #142,049 | -4.1% |
| Count | 123 | 120 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beilsmith bearers went from 123 to 120 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,049.
FAQ
Beilsmith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beilsmith?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Beilsmith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Beilsmith?
Beilsmith ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Beilsmith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Beilsmith.
Has Beilsmith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beilsmith went from 123 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Beilsmith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beilsmith, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Beilsmith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beilsmith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Beilsmith (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 Beilsmith mean?
A surname derived from a place name referring to a smithy or forge location. 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 Beilsmith (0.04 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 Beilsmith?
See how many Americans have the surname Beilsmith on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.