2000
#5,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,914
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.19
Rare Last name
Belk
An English topographic surname derived from the Old English word "bēlg," referring to a bag or purse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,480 Americans carry the last name Belk. That puts it at #5,882 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,894 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belk 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 Belk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,894
Census rank
#5,882
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,651 bearers of the surname Belk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5882nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belk, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belk
The surname Belk is believed to have originated in Germany or the Low Countries, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Middle Low German word "belk," which means "beam" or "plank," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for a carpenter or woodworker.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Hans Belk, a German carpenter who lived in the town of Aachen in the late 16th century. Records from the time show that he was a respected member of the local guild of carpenters and woodworkers.
In the 17th century, the Belk surname began to appear in various records across the German-speaking regions of Europe. For example, a Johann Belk was listed as a resident of the town of Lübeck in 1632, while a family by the name of Belk was recorded as landowners in the village of Diepenau in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the late 1600s.
As the centuries passed, the Belk surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the 18th century, a man named Jacob Belk was born in the German town of Murrhardt in 1724. He later emigrated to the British colonies in America, settling in Pennsylvania in the 1750s.
Another notable bearer of the Belk surname was the German philosopher and writer Johann August Eberhard Belk, who lived from 1769 to 1853. He was a prominent figure in the field of aesthetics and wrote several influential works on the subject.
During the 19th century, the Belk surname began to appear more frequently in various parts of the United States, particularly in the southern states. One of the most famous individuals with this name was William Henry Belk, a successful businessman who founded the Belk department store chain in the late 19th century. He was born in 1862 in Monroe, North Carolina, and the first Belk store opened in Monroe in 1888.
Throughout its history, the Belk surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from carpenters and woodworkers to philosophers, writers, and business magnates. While its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, the name has since spread to many parts of the world, carried by generations of individuals who have contributed to the rich tapestry of human endeavor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belk
Among Census respondents with the surname Belk, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Belk 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 Belk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.4% · 3,980
- Black or African American21.3% · 1,204
- Two or more races4.2% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belk
Belk 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
#5,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,886
+972 bearers (+16.4%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Up 336 places
2020
#5,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,651
-1,235 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 797 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,421 | 5,914 | 2.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,085 | 6,886 | 2.33 | +972 bearers (+16.4%) | Up 336 places |
| 2020 | #5,882 | 5,651 | 1.89 | -1,235 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 797 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 Belk 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 | #5,085 | #5,882 | -15.7% |
| Count | 6,886 | 5,651 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 1.89 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belk bearers went from 6,886 to 5,651 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 797 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,085 to #5,882.
FAQ
Belk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belk?
Name Census estimates that about 6,480 living Americans carry the surname Belk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,894 residents.
How common is Belk?
Belk ranks #5,882 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,651 people with the surname Belk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Belk.
Has Belk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belk went from 6,886 recorded bearers to 5,651. That is a decrease of 1,235 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,085 to #5,882.
What does the Census say about the background of Belk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belk, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) 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 Belk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.4% (3,980 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.4%), Black (21.3%), 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 Belk (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 Belk mean?
An English topographic surname derived from the Old English word "bēlg," referring to a bag or purse. 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 Belk (1.89 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 many Americans have the surname Belk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.