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

Belleville, 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 Belleville surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Belleville in America

Belleville is the 24702nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Belleville surname appeared 1,010 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 Belleville.

We can also compare 2010 data for Belleville 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 Belleville

The surname Belleville originates from France and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the city of Belleville, located in the northern suburbs of Paris. The name is believed to have come from the Latin words "bella" meaning beautiful and "villa" meaning town or village, suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived in or came from a beautiful town.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the 12th century. In this record, a certain Petrus de Belleville is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction in the year 1180.

During the 13th century, the name appears in various historical documents related to the region around Paris. For instance, a knight named Raoul de Belleville is mentioned in the Livre des Vassaux, a register of feudal lords and their vassals, compiled in the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name Belleville gained prominence with the birth of Jean de Belleville (1330-1405), a French prelate who served as the Bishop of Coutances and later as the Archbishop of Sens. He played a significant role in the resolution of the Western Schism, a period of dispute over the legitimacy of the papacy.

Another notable figure with the surname Belleville was Jacques de Belleville (1558-1629), a French jurist and diplomat who served as the French ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire. He was involved in negotiating the Peace of Vervins treaty in 1598, which ended the Franco-Spanish War.

In the 18th century, the name Belleville was associated with the French philosopher and writer, Étienne de Belleville (1723-1804). He was a prominent figure in the Age of Enlightenment and is best known for his work "Essai sur l'Entendement Humain" (Essay on Human Understanding), which explored the nature of human knowledge and perception.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Belleville has been found in various spellings and variations, such as Belville, Belvile, and Bellevilla, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects. Additionally, the name has been associated with several place names in France, including Belleville-sur-Meuse, Belleville-sur-Vie, and Belleville-en-Beaujolais, further reinforcing its locational origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Belleville

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

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

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

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