2000
#2,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,850
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.88
Uncommon Last name
Bellamy
A Norman French surname derived from the phrase "belle ami," meaning "beautiful friend."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,873 Americans carry the last name Bellamy. That puts it at #2,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bellamy 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 Bellamy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,161
Census rank
#2,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,458 bearers of the surname Bellamy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellamy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bellamy
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellamy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bellamy 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 Bellamy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.4% · 8,455
- White39.6% · 6,518
- Two or more races4.9% · 802
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 542
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bellamy
Bellamy 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
#2,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,167
+1,317 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 5.82
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#2,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,458
-709 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 5.51
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,101 | 15,850 | 5.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,108 | 17,167 | 5.82 | +1,317 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #2,147 | 16,458 | 5.51 | -709 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 39 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 Bellamy 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 | #2,108 | #2,147 | -1.9% |
| Count | 17,167 | 16,458 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.82 | 5.51 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bellamy bearers went from 17,167 to 16,458 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,108 to #2,147.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bellamy
FAQ
Bellamy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bellamy?
Name Census estimates that about 18,873 living Americans carry the surname Bellamy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,161 residents.
How common is Bellamy?
Bellamy ranks #2,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,458 people with the surname Bellamy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,873), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Bellamy.
Has Bellamy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bellamy went from 17,167 recorded bearers to 16,458. That is a decrease of 709 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,108 to #2,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Bellamy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellamy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bellamy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.4% (8,455 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bellamy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.4%), White (39.6%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Bellamy (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 Bellamy mean?
A Norman French surname derived from the phrase "belle ami," meaning "beautiful friend." 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 Bellamy (5.51 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 people have the surname Bellamy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.