2000
#8,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,742
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Belle
A French surname referring to a person who was known for being beautiful or handsome.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,493 Americans carry the last name Belle. That puts it at #8,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belle 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 Belle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,286
Census rank
#8,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,918 bearers of the surname Belle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belle, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.8%. The next largest groups are White (27.6%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belle
The surname Belle is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "belle" meaning "beautiful" or "fair." It dates back to the medieval period, when it was likely first used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with attractive physical features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Belle can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulfus Belle in Nottinghamshire, England. This suggests that the name had already been established in France and brought over to England by the Norman conquest in 1066.
In the 12th century, the name Belle appeared in various forms, such as Bele, Bel, and Bella, in records from different regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and spelling conventions.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Belle was also associated with certain place names, such as Bellerive (meaning "beautiful shore") and Bellevue (meaning "beautiful view"). This connection indicates that some individuals may have taken the surname Belle based on their place of origin or residence.
One notable figure with the surname Belle was Jean-Baptiste Belle, a French engraver and publisher who lived from 1704 to 1786. He is known for his intricate engravings and illustrations, particularly those depicting scenes from classical mythology.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Françoise Belle, a French painter and engraver who lived from 1723 to 1799. She was renowned for her portraits and historical paintings, and her works are featured in several museums across Europe.
In the 19th century, the surname Belle gained recognition through the work of Marie-Guillemine Benoist, née Belle (1768-1826), a French painter and one of the few women admitted to the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture.
Étienne-Prosper Belle (1806-1886) was a French dramatist and playwright who wrote several successful comedies and vaudevilles during the 19th century.
Lastly, Georges Belle (1830-1909) was a French architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the redesign and modernization of Paris during the Second Empire under Napoleon III.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belle
Among Census respondents with the surname Belle, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.8%. The next largest groups are White (27.6%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Belle 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 Belle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.8% · 2,303
- White27.6% · 1,080
- Two or more races6.9% · 272
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belle
Belle 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
#7,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,246
+504 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 359 places
2020
#8,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,918
-328 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,155 | 3,742 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,796 | 4,246 | 1.44 | +504 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 359 places |
| 2020 | #8,102 | 3,918 | 1.31 | -328 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 306 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 Belle 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 | #7,796 | #8,102 | -3.9% |
| Count | 4,246 | 3,918 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.31 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belle bearers went from 4,246 to 3,918 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 306 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,796 to #8,102.
FAQ
Belle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,493 living Americans carry the surname Belle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,286 residents.
How common is Belle?
Belle ranks #8,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,918 people with the surname Belle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Belle.
Has Belle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belle went from 4,246 recorded bearers to 3,918. That is a decrease of 328 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,796 to #8,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Belle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belle, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.8%. The next largest groups are White (27.6%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Belle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.8% (2,303 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (58.8%), White (27.6%), Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Belle (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 Belle mean?
A French surname referring to a person who was known for being beautiful or handsome. 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 Belle (1.31 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 Belle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.