2000
#1,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,947
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.36
Uncommon Last name
Belcher
An occupational surname referring to someone who belches cloth, a bleacher or finisher of woven fabric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,450 Americans carry the last name Belcher. That puts it at #1,298 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,256 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belcher 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Belcher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,256
Census rank
#1,298
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,554 bearers of the surname Belcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1298th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belcher
The surname Belcher originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "belchier," which means "to bake." It is believed that the name was originally an occupational surname given to bakers or those who worked with ovens.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landowners and their properties in England, there are several references to individuals with the name Belcher or variations such as Belchier and Belcher. These entries suggest that the name was already established in various parts of the country by the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Ricardus le Belchier is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the transition from the French origin to its English form.
The name Belcher can also be linked to various place names in England, such as Belchers Lane in Hertfordshire and Belcher's Farm in Buckinghamshire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the Belcher surname or may have influenced the surname's development.
Notable individuals with the Belcher surname throughout history include:
1. John Belcher (c. 1633-1721), an English settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony who served as a member of the colonial militia.
2. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), a British writer and historian whose full name was Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc.
3. Andrew Belcher (1763-1841), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Diane Belcher (1938-2022), an American actress and voice artist known for her work in animation, including voicing characters in "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill."
5. Edward Belcher (1799-1877), a British naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the mid-19th century.
The Belcher surname has a rich history rooted in England's medieval era, originating from an occupation and evolving over centuries to become a prominent surname with notable individuals across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Belcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Belcher 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 Belcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 20,485
- Black or African American14.6% · 3,874
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,116
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 833
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 112
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belcher
Belcher 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
#1,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,321
+374 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 9.60
Rank movement Down 94 places
2020
#1,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,554
-1,767 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 8.88
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,149 | 27,947 | 10.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,243 | 28,321 | 9.60 | +374 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 94 places |
| 2020 | #1,298 | 26,554 | 8.88 | -1,767 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 55 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 Belcher 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 | #1,243 | #1,298 | -4.4% |
| Count | 28,321 | 26,554 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 9.60 | 8.88 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belcher bearers went from 28,321 to 26,554 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,243 to #1,298.
FAQ
Belcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belcher?
Name Census estimates that about 30,450 living Americans carry the surname Belcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,256 residents.
How common is Belcher?
Belcher ranks #1,298 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,554 people with the surname Belcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,450), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Belcher.
Has Belcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belcher went from 28,321 recorded bearers to 26,554. That is a decrease of 1,767 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,243 to #1,298.
What does the Census say about the background of Belcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Belcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (20,485 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Belcher (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 Belcher mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who belches cloth, a bleacher or finisher of woven fabric. 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 Belcher (8.88 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 Belcher?
You can see how many people have the last name Belcher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.