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

Bell, 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 Bell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bell in America

Bell is the 106th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bell surname appeared 220,599 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 75 people would have the surname Bell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bell 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 Bell

The surname Bell is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word 'belle', which means 'bell'. It was originally an occupational surname given to those who worked as bell-ringers, either in churches or towns. The earliest records of the name date back to the late 12th century.

One of the earliest known records of the surname Bell is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a man named William le Belleringe is mentioned. This suggests that the name was in use as an occupational surname by the late 12th century.

The surname Bell is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several places with names that contain the element 'bell', such as Belchamp in Essex and Belford in Northumberland. These place names were likely derived from the Old English word 'belle', indicating the presence of bell-ringers or bell-makers in those areas.

In the 13th century, the surname Bell appears in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a man named Richard le Belleyetere is listed. The surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a man named Robert le Bell is recorded.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Bell was Sir Robert Bell, a Scottish clergyman who served as the Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1498 to 1500. Another notable person with this surname was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-born inventor who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone.

Other famous individuals with the surname Bell include John Bell (1797-1869), an American politician and Secretary of War under President William Henry Harrison, and Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), a British writer, traveler, and political officer who played a significant role in establishing the modern state of Iraq.

Ian Bell (born 1982) is a former English cricketer who played for the England national team and was part of the team that won the Ashes in 2005 and 2009. Joshua Bell (born 1967) is an American violinist and conductor who is widely recognized as one of the world's greatest classical musicians.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bell

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

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

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

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