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

Belisle, 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 Belisle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Belisle in America

Belisle is the 8800th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Belisle surname appeared 3,722 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 Belisle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Belisle 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 Belisle

The surname Belisle has its origins in France, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the French words "belle" meaning beautiful and "isle" meaning island, suggesting a connection to a picturesque island location.

One of the earliest known references to the Belisle name can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres" from the late 12th century, which mentions a person named "Hugo de Bella Insula" (Hugh of the Beautiful Island).

The name is also thought to have evolved from various place names in France, such as Bellisle-sur-Mer, a commune in the department of Morbihan, Brittany. This region was historically known for its strategic islands and naval importance, which may have influenced the adoption of the name.

In the 13th century, records show a nobleman named Guibert de Belisle who was a vassal of the Count of Champagne. Another notable figure was Jean de Belisle, a French military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was captured at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.

During the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Belisles, Bellisles, and Beliles, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One prominent individual from this era was François de Belisle (1521-1588), a French diplomat and military commander who served under King Henry II.

In the 17th century, Philippe de Belisle (1617-1679) was a French naval officer and explorer who played a significant role in the colonization of the French West Indies. He founded the city of Fort-de-France on the island of Martinique.

The name Belisle also found its way to North America during the French colonization period. Charles de Belisle (1684-1741) was a French-Canadian military officer and administrator who served as the acting governor of the French colony of Louisiana.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Belisle

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

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

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

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