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

Bellamy, 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 Bellamy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bellamy in America

Bellamy is the 2108th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bellamy surname appeared 17,167 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Bellamy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bellamy 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 Bellamy

The surname Bellamy is of French origin, derived from the Old French words "beau" meaning "beautiful" and "ami" meaning "friend." It is believed to have originated in Normandy, France, in the 11th century.

The name first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Norman nobles and their retainers settled in the country. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions individuals with variations of the name, such as Belemis and Belami.

In the 12th century, the name Bellamy was recorded in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. The surname was often associated with place names, such as Bellamy's Manor in Leicestershire, which was named after a person with the surname Bellamy who held land there.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bellamy was Roger Bellamy, who lived in Nottinghamshire in the 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir Walter Bellamy, a member of Parliament for Norfolk in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Bellamy family had established itself as a prominent landholding family in Somerset. Thomas Bellamy (1512-1581) was a wealthy merchant and landowner in Somerset, and his descendants continued to hold significant estates in the area for several generations.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Richard Bellamy (1592-1672), an English Puritan minister and theologian who served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge University.

In the 18th century, George Anne Bellamy (1733-1788) was a famous English actress and writer, known for her memoirs and her stage performances in London.

During the American Revolutionary War, Joseph Bellamy (1719-1790) was a prominent Congregational minister in Connecticut and a staunch supporter of the patriot cause.

In the 19th century, Edward Bellamy (1850-1898) was an American writer and socialist, best known for his utopian novel "Looking Backward" which popularized the concept of a centralized planned economy.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Bellamy throughout history, showcasing the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds of those who have borne this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bellamy

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

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

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

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