2000
#21,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Belgrave
A locational surname referring to someone from Belgrave in Leicestershire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,394 Americans carry the last name Belgrave. That puts it at #21,812 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 245,878 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belgrave 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 Belgrave with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 245,878
Census rank
#21,812
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,216 bearers of the surname Belgrave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21812th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belgrave, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and White (7.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belgrave
The surname Belgrave originates from England and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "bel" meaning "pretty" or "beautiful" and "graef" meaning "grove" or "small wood." Thus, the name literally translates to "beautiful grove" or "pretty wood."
The name Belgrave is closely associated with the village of Belgrave in Leicestershire, England. This village was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Belegrave." The earliest recorded instance of the surname dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared as "de Belegrave" in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire.
In the 13th century, the name was commonly spelled as "Belegrave" or "Belgrave." During this time, the Belgrave family held significant landholdings in Leicestershire and Warwickshire. One notable figure was Sir John Belgrave, who fought alongside Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346.
The Belgrave family continued to play an influential role in English history throughout the centuries. In the 15th century, Sir Ralph Belgrave served as the High Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Another prominent member was Sir Robert Belgrave, who was knighted by King Henry VIII in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name "Belgrave" was sometimes spelled as "Bellgrave" or "Bellegrave." One notable figure from this period was Sir Thomas Belgrave, who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire in the 1660s.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several members of the Belgrave family achieved distinction in various fields. William Belgrave (1765-1844) was a renowned English architect who designed numerous buildings in London. General Sir Robert Belgrave (1784-1865) was a highly decorated British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War.
Other notable individuals with the surname Belgrave include Harriet Belgrave (1794-1858), an English novelist and writer, and James Belgrave (1856-1923), a New Zealand politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of Wellington.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belgrave
Among Census respondents with the surname Belgrave, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and White (7.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Belgrave 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 Belgrave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.7% · 896
- Hispanic or Latino13.9% · 169
- White7.4% · 90
- Two or more races4.1% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belgrave
Belgrave 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
#20,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,277
+151 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 881 places
2020
#21,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,216
-61 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,590 | 1,126 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,709 | 1,277 | 0.43 | +151 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 881 places |
| 2020 | #21,812 | 1,216 | 0.41 | -61 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1,103 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 Belgrave 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 | #20,709 | #21,812 | -5.3% |
| Count | 1,277 | 1,216 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.41 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belgrave bearers went from 1,277 to 1,216 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 1,103 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,709 to #21,812.
FAQ
Belgrave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belgrave?
Name Census estimates that about 1,394 living Americans carry the surname Belgrave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 245,878 residents.
How common is Belgrave?
Belgrave ranks #21,812 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,216 people with the surname Belgrave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Belgrave.
Has Belgrave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belgrave went from 1,277 recorded bearers to 1,216. That is a decrease of 61 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,709 to #21,812.
What does the Census say about the background of Belgrave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belgrave, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and White (7.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Belgrave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belgrave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (73.7%), Hispanic (13.9%), White (7.4%). 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 Belgrave (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 Belgrave mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Belgrave in Leicestershire, England. 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 Belgrave (0.41 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 Americans have the surname Belgrave?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.