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

Belless, 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 Belless surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Belless in America

Belless is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Belless surname appeared 103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Belless.

The history of the last name Belless

The surname "BELLESS" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely in the 11th or 12th century. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English words "bell" and "leas," which together could mean "bell meadow" or "bell pasture."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bellelese." This entry suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific location or landholding in England at the time of the Norman Conquest.

Over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as "Bellas," "Belleys," and "Bellies," before settling into its modern form, "BELLESS." These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping and the influence of regional dialects.

Notable individuals bearing the BELLESS surname include:

1. Sir Robert BELLESS (c. 1320-1395), a prominent English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France.
2. Elizabeth BELLESS (1535-1603), an English courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I.
3. Thomas BELLESS (1670-1744), a renowned English clockmaker whose works were highly prized for their accuracy and craftsmanship.
4. Margaret BELLESS (1790-1867), an English author and poet whose works explored themes of nature and spirituality.
5. William BELLESS (1845-1921), a British explorer and cartographer who mapped vast regions of Africa during the late 19th century.

While the BELLESS name has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has been adopted by families of various cultural backgrounds. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient English landscape and the significance of bells in medieval society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Belless

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

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 Belless 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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!