2000
#10,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,806
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Belew
Derived from a French place name meaning "beautiful place," likely referring to someone who lived in such a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,040 Americans carry the last name Belew. That puts it at #11,371 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,748 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belew 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
3.0K
1 in 112,748
Census rank
#11,371
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,651 bearers of the surname Belew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11371st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belew, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belew
The surname Belew has its origins in England, with records showing its existence as early as the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Bellow, which is now a lost village in Yorkshire. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "belu" and "hlaw," meaning "hill" and "mound," respectively.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190, where a Richard de Belhow is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the locational origin of the name. Another early record can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Henry de Belhou in Cambridgeshire.
In the 14th century, the surname began to appear in various spellings, including Belew, Bellewe, and Bellow. One notable individual from this period was John Belew, a merchant from London who was recorded in the city's records in 1379.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name continued to be widely dispersed across England. In 1567, a William Belew was recorded in the Parish Registers of Whalley, Lancashire. Additionally, a Richard Belew was born in Somerset in 1613, further exemplifying the name's presence in different regions.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Belew. One of the earliest was Sir John Belew, a member of the English gentry who lived in the 14th century and held lands in Huntingdonshire. Another prominent figure was William Belew, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who was born in 1542 and served as the city's mayor in 1594.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition through individuals like Thomas Belew, a renowned English architect born in 1740. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Shire Hall in Gloucestershire. Additionally, John Belew, born in 1758, was a prominent British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable bearer of the name was Henry Belew, a British writer and clergyman born in 1818. He authored several influential works on theology and philosophy. Another significant figure was Sir John Belew, a British diplomat and colonial administrator born in 1833, who served as the Governor of New Zealand from 1882 to 1888.
While the surname Belew may have evolved from its locational origins, it has undoubtedly left a lasting mark on history through the contributions of various individuals bearing this name. From merchants and architects to writers and military leaders, the Belew surname has been associated with a diverse array of accomplishments and fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belew
Among Census respondents with the surname Belew, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Belew 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 Belew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 2,275
- Black or African American7.1% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 82
- Two or more races3.1% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belew
Belew 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
#10,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,086
+280 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 74 places
2020
#11,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,651
-435 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,501 | 2,806 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,427 | 3,086 | 1.05 | +280 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 74 places |
| 2020 | #11,371 | 2,651 | 0.89 | -435 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 944 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 Belew 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 | #10,427 | #11,371 | -9.1% |
| Count | 3,086 | 2,651 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.89 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belew bearers went from 3,086 to 2,651 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 944 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,427 to #11,371.
FAQ
Belew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belew?
Name Census estimates that about 3,040 living Americans carry the surname Belew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,748 residents.
How common is Belew?
Belew ranks #11,371 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,651 people with the surname Belew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,040), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Belew.
Has Belew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belew went from 3,086 recorded bearers to 2,651. That is a decrease of 435 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,427 to #11,371.
What does the Census say about the background of Belew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belew, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Belew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (2,275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Belew (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 Belew mean?
Derived from a French place name meaning "beautiful place," likely referring to someone who lived in such a location. 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 Belew (0.89 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 common is the surname Belew?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Belew? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.