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

Belair, 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 Belair surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Belair in America

Belair is the 16734th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Belair surname appeared 1,709 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Belair.

We can also compare 2010 data for Belair 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 Belair

The surname Belair is of French origin, derived from the Old French words "bel" meaning "beautiful" and "air" meaning "air" or "location". The name likely originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Paris and the Île-de-France region, during the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Belair can be found in the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a person named Renaud de Belair. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.

The name Belair is also reminiscent of several place names in France, such as Belair in the department of Ardèche, and Bellair in the department of Haute-Savoie. These place names may have influenced the surname or vice versa, as it was common for people to adopt surnames derived from the places they lived or came from.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Rolls of the Parlement of Paris, which record the proceedings of the French parliament during that time. One notable entry mentions a certain Jean de Belair, who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.

During the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Belair was Jacques de Belair (1540-1612), a French nobleman and military commander who served under King Henry IV. He was known for his role in the French Wars of Religion and was rewarded with lands and titles for his loyalty.

Another notable person with the surname Belair was Marie-Anne Belair (1700-1768), a French actress and playwright who achieved success in the Comédie-Française, the prestigious French theater company. She was renowned for her performances in comedic roles and authored several plays.

In the 18th century, a significant figure was Jean-François Belair (1725-1805), a French architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and public spaces in Paris, including the Théâtre de l'Odéon and the Place de la Concorde.

During the 19th century, a notable bearer of the surname Belair was Auguste Belair (1810-1878), a French painter and sculptor. He was known for his historical and religious paintings, as well as his sculptures adorning several churches and public buildings in Paris.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Belair

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

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

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

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