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

Belknap, 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 Belknap surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Belknap in America

Belknap is the 9890th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Belknap surname appeared 3,270 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 Belknap.

We can also compare 2010 data for Belknap 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 Belknap

The surname Belknap originates from England and dates back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "bell" meaning bell and "cnapp" meaning hillock or small hill, indicating that the name referred to a person who lived near a bell-topped hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a place called "Belecamp" in Berkshire, which is likely the origin of the Belknap surname.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded in various forms, including Belnap, Belnapp, and Belleknappe, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that period. One notable person with this surname was Sir Robert Belknap, who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1370 to 1388.

During the 14th century, the Belknap family held lands in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. In the latter county, a place called Belknap (or Belknappe) existed, which was likely named after the family.

In the 15th century, Sir Henry Belknap (1420-1488) was a prominent figure who served as a member of parliament and held various positions in the court of Henry VI and Edward IV. He was also a significant landowner in Kent and Essex.

Another notable person with the Belknap surname was Sir Robert Belknap (1585-1667), who was a member of the Long Parliament and a supporter of the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War. He was also a member of the Council of State under Oliver Cromwell.

Reverend Jeremy Belknap (1744-1798) was an American historian and minister, known for his work "History of New Hampshire," which was one of the earliest comprehensive histories of a state in the United States. He was also a founding member of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Throughout history, the Belknap surname has been prominent in various fields, including law, politics, and academia, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Belknap

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!