2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Beko
A nickname or surname of Turkish origin, possibly meaning "Son of Bey" or "Son of Lord".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Beko. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beko 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Beko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beko, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beko
The surname BEKO is believed to have its origins in the Balkan region, with roots in the Ottoman Turkish language. It likely emerged during the Ottoman Empire's rule over parts of Southeastern Europe between the 14th and 20th centuries.
The name BEKO is thought to be derived from the Turkish word "bey," which means "lord" or "chieftain." It may have been used as a title or honorific for individuals of high social status or nobility within the Ottoman Empire. Over time, this title could have evolved into a surname for their descendants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BEKO can be found in the Ottoman tax registers (tahrir defterleri) from the 16th century. These registers documented the names and occupations of households for taxation purposes in the Ottoman territories.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Mehmed Beko Efendi (birth year unknown - died 1749) served as the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Mahmud I. His use of the surname BEKO suggests its association with individuals of prominence and authority during that era.
Another historical figure bearing the surname BEKO was Hasan Beko (born circa 1770 - died 1843), a Bosnian writer, philosopher, and scholar. He is renowned for his contributions to the literary and intellectual circles of the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century.
In the late 19th century, Hasan Riza Beko (1856-1907) was a prominent Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to various European countries.
During the 20th century, the surname BEKO was carried by individuals like Ahmet Beko (1905-1987), a Turkish politician and member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and Ilhan Beko (1925-2003), a renowned Turkish artist and painter.
While the surname BEKO has its roots in the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan region, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical origins can be traced back to the Turkish language and the social hierarchy of the Ottoman period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beko
Among Census respondents with the surname Beko, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Beko 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 Beko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 98
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Black or African American4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beko
Beko 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 544 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-8 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 544 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 9,168 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 Beko 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 | #137,327 | #146,495 | -6.7% |
| Count | 122 | 114 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beko bearers went from 122 to 114 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 9,168 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #146,495.
FAQ
Beko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beko?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Beko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Beko?
Beko ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Beko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Beko.
Has Beko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beko went from 122 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Beko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beko, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (4.4%). 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 Beko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Black (4.4%). 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 Beko (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 Beko mean?
A nickname or surname of Turkish origin, possibly meaning "Son of Bey" or "Son of Lord". 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 Beko (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 Beko?
If you just want to know how common the surname Beko is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.