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

Belau, 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 Belau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Belau in America

Belau is the 75317th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Belau surname appeared 256 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 Belau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Belau 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 Belau

The surname Belau is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the northern regions near the Baltic Sea. It dates back to the 13th century and is thought to be derived from the Old German word "belewe," which means "to stay" or "to remain."

The Belau name is believed to have first appeared in historical records in the late 13th century, such as the Annals of the Teutonic Order, which documented the activities of the medieval military order in the region. The earliest known bearer of the name was Conrad Belau, a merchant who lived in the city of Lübeck in the late 1200s.

In the 14th century, the Belau name can be found in various medieval records and chronicles, including the Hanseatic League's records of trade and commerce in the Baltic region. One notable example is Hans Belau, a ship captain who was involved in the Hanseatic League's maritime trade routes in the mid-1300s.

As the centuries passed, the Belau name spread throughout northern Germany and into neighboring regions. In the 16th century, there are records of a family of Belau landowners and farmers in the town of Pomerania, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the Belau name was Johann Belau, a Lutheran theologian and university professor who lived in the late 16th century. He was born in 1569 and taught at the University of Rostock, where he published several works on theology and church history.

In the 18th century, the Belau name can be found in various military records and rolls, as several Belau men served in the Prussian and German armies during the wars and conflicts of that era. One such individual was Karl Belau, a Prussian officer who fought in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) and later became a military governor in the region of Silesia.

Another notable bearer of the Belau name was Heinrich Belau, a German historian and writer who lived in the 19th century. Born in 1813, he authored several books on the history of Prussia and the German states, and served as a professor at the University of Berlin.

Throughout its history, the Belau name has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from merchants and sailors to academics and military figures. While the name's origins can be traced back to northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Belau

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

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

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

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