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

Bek, 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 Bek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bek in America

Bek is the 59017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bek surname appeared 343 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 Bek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bek 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 Bek

The surname BEK is of Turkish origin, derived from the Old Turkic word "bek" or "beg," meaning "chief" or "leader." This name can be traced back to the early medieval period when Turkic tribes migrated and settled across Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Europe.

The earliest recorded instances of the name BEK can be found in historical documents dating back to the 9th century, when the Seljuk Turks rose to power in the region spanning modern-day Iran, Turkey, and parts of Central Asia. During this time, the title "Bek" or "Beg" was bestowed upon tribal leaders and military commanders.

One of the most notable figures bearing this name was Alp Arslan (1030-1072), the second Sultan of the Seljuk Empire, who led significant military campaigns and expanded the empire's territory. His name, Alp Arslan, means "Brave Lion" in Turkish, reflecting his prowess as a warrior and leader.

Another prominent individual with the name BEK was Timur (1336-1405), also known as Tamerlane, a powerful Turko-Mongol conqueror who established the Timurid Empire across Central Asia and parts of modern-day Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Timur's birth name was Timur Bek, highlighting the significance of the title "Bek" in his lineage.

In the Ottoman Empire, the name BEK was often used as a title or honorific for high-ranking officials and military leaders. One such example is Gedik Ahmed Pasha (1482-1567), an Ottoman grand vizier and military commander who played a crucial role in the conquest of Rhodes and the subsequent expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean region.

The name BEK also appears in historical records and manuscripts from various regions, including the Caucasus, where it was commonly used among the local Turkic populations. One notable figure from this region was Sheykh Shamil (1797-1871), a prominent leader of the Caucasian resistance against the Russian Empire, who bore the name Shamil Bek.

In more recent history, the name BEK has been associated with several notable individuals, including Nazım Bek (1853-1928), a Turkish writer and poet who played a significant role in the literary and cultural renaissance of the late Ottoman Empire, and Huseyin Rahmi Gürpınar (1864-1944), a renowned Turkish novelist and playwright who wrote under the pen name Hüseyin Rahmi Bek.

While the name BEK has its roots in the Turkic cultures of Central Asia and the Middle East, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. Today, the surname BEK can be found among people of diverse backgrounds, reflecting the rich tapestry of human history and the enduring legacy of names and their meanings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bek

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

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

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

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