2000
#47,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Belliard
A French surname derived from the Old French words "beau" and "liard," referring to someone with a beautiful complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 955 Americans carry the last name Belliard. That puts it at #30,091 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 358,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belliard 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.
Bearers in the US
955
1 in 358,905
Census rank
#30,091
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
833
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 833 bearers of the surname Belliard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30091st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belliard, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belliard
The surname Belliard is of French origin, deriving from the Old French words 'bel' meaning 'beautiful' and 'liard' which referred to a small coin. It is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript commissioned by King William the Conqueror in 1086. It mentions a landowner named Belliard in the county of Sussex, England. This suggests that the name had already spread to England by the late 11th century, likely due to the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Raoul Belliard was documented in the records of the Abbey of Fontenay in Burgundy, France. He was a significant landowner and benefactor of the abbey.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various historical records across France, such as the registers of the Parlement of Paris, which mention a Jacques Belliard in 1387.
A notable figure bearing the Belliard surname was René Belliard (1671-1741), a French architect and military engineer. He was responsible for designing several fortifications and military structures in the Alsace region.
Another prominent individual was Augustin Daniel Belliard (1769-1832), a French military officer and general who served under Napoleon Bonaparte. He participated in numerous campaigns, including the Napoleonic Wars, and was awarded the title of Count by Napoleon.
In the 19th century, Auguste Belliard (1816-1890) was a French painter and engraver, known for his landscape paintings and illustrations of rural life in the Normandy region.
The name Belliard has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as the village of Belliard in the department of Ain, and the hamlet of Belliard in the department of Côte-d'Or.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Beliard, Belliart, and Belliard, were common in historical records due to the inconsistencies in written language during earlier periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belliard
Among Census respondents with the surname Belliard, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Belliard 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 Belliard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.0% · 750
- White6.0% · 50
- Black or African American3.5% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belliard
Belliard 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
#36,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 607
+183 bearers (+43.2%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 10,332 places
2020
#30,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 833
+226 bearers (+37.2%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 6,697 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,120 | 424 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,788 | 607 | 0.21 | +183 bearers (+43.2%) | Up 10,332 places |
| 2020 | #30,091 | 833 | 0.28 | +226 bearers (+37.2%) | Up 6,697 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 Belliard 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 | #36,788 | #30,091 | 18.2% |
| Count | 607 | 833 | 37.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.28 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belliard bearers went from 607 to 833 (+37.2% change). The surname moved up 6,697 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,788 to #30,091.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Belliard
FAQ
Belliard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belliard?
Name Census estimates that about 955 living Americans carry the surname Belliard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 358,905 residents.
How common is Belliard?
Belliard ranks #30,091 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 833 people with the surname Belliard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Belliard.
Has Belliard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belliard went from 607 recorded bearers to 833. That is an increase of 226 (+37.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,788 to #30,091.
What does the Census say about the background of Belliard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belliard, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Black (3.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Belliard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (750 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belliard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.0%), White (6.0%), Black (3.5%). 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 Belliard (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 Belliard mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French words "beau" and "liard," referring to someone with a beautiful complexion. 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 Belliard (0.28 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 are called Belliard?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Belliard at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.