2000
#11,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,645
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Bellard
A French occupational surname for a shepherd or one who rings church bells.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,816 Americans carry the last name Bellard. That puts it at #12,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,717 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bellard 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 Bellard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,717
Census rank
#12,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,456 bearers of the surname Bellard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.6%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bellard
The surname Bellard is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "bel," meaning beautiful or handsome, combined with the suffix "-ard," which was commonly used to form surnames from personal characteristics or physical descriptions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bellard can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name may have been introduced to England shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Belard, Bellarde, and Bellart, in records from the regions of Normandy and Picardy in northern France. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas and later spread to other parts of France and Europe.
One notable bearer of the Bellard surname was Jean Bellard, a French mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1595 to 1668. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was a member of the prestigious Académie Royale des Sciences in Paris.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Bellard family settled in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti). One of their descendants, Pierre Bellard, was a prominent figure in the Haitian Revolution and served as a general in the revolutionary forces led by Toussaint Louverture.
Another notable figure with the Bellard surname was Eugène Bellard, a French sculptor born in 1837. He achieved recognition for his works depicting historical and mythological subjects and was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, France's highest civilian honor.
In England, the name Bellard can be traced back to the 14th century, with records showing individuals with this surname residing in various counties, including Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One example is William Bellard, who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire in 1332.
While the Bellard surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and various European countries. Over time, the name has also undergone minor spelling variations, such as Belard, Bellarte, and Bellarde, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and written records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bellard
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.6%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bellard 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 Bellard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.6% · 1,168
- White44.8% · 1,101
- Two or more races3.4% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bellard
Bellard 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
#10,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,966
+321 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 270 places
2020
#12,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,456
-510 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,026 | 2,645 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,756 | 2,966 | 1.01 | +321 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 270 places |
| 2020 | #12,111 | 2,456 | 0.82 | -510 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 1,355 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 Bellard 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 | #10,756 | #12,111 | -12.6% |
| Count | 2,966 | 2,456 | -17.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.82 | -18.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bellard bearers went from 2,966 to 2,456 (-17.2% change). The surname moved down 1,355 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,756 to #12,111.
FAQ
Bellard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bellard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,816 living Americans carry the surname Bellard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,717 residents.
How common is Bellard?
Bellard ranks #12,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,456 people with the surname Bellard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,816), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bellard.
Has Bellard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bellard went from 2,966 recorded bearers to 2,456. That is a decrease of 510 (-17.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,756 to #12,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Bellard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.6%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Bellard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.6% (1,168 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bellard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.6%), White (44.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Bellard (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 Bellard mean?
A French occupational surname for a shepherd or one who rings church bells. 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 Bellard (0.82 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 Bellard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.