2000
#6,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,158
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.91
Rare Last name
Bellinger
An English occupational surname referring to a bell-founder or bell-ringer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,902 Americans carry the last name Bellinger. That puts it at #6,352 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bellinger 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 Bellinger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,074
Census rank
#6,352
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,147 bearers of the surname Bellinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6352nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bellinger
The surname Bellinger is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "bellinge," which means "bell" or "bell-maker." The name is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century as an occupational surname for those who were involved in the making or ringing of bells, particularly in churches or monasteries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. In medieval times, surnames were often derived from occupations, and the Bellinger name likely originated among families or individuals who were involved in bell-making or bell-ringing professions.
One of the earliest known references to the Bellinger name can be found in the records of the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Hans Bellinger was mentioned in a document dated 1478. Another early record comes from the town of Ulm, where a Konrad Bellinger was recorded in the 16th century.
As the name spread across Germany and Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Bellinger, Bellenger, and Bellingher. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
Notable individuals with the Bellinger surname include:
1. Johann Bellinger (1560-1632), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony.
2. Johann Philipp Bellinger (1638-1704), a German baroque painter known for his religious and mythological works.
3. Johann Gottfried Bellinger (1715-1787), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
4. Carl Bellinger (1804-1889), a German-American architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Cooper Union Foundation Building.
5. Gustav Bellinger (1856-1930), a German classical philologist and epigraphist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek inscriptions.
While the Bellinger name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain closely tied to its German heritage and the historical occupation of bell-making or bell-ringing.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bellinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bellinger 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 Bellinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 3,392
- Black or African American24.3% · 1,251
- Two or more races4.6% · 236
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 209
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bellinger
Bellinger 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
#5,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,825
+667 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 207 places
2020
#6,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,147
-678 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,124 | 5,158 | 1.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,917 | 5,825 | 1.97 | +667 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 207 places |
| 2020 | #6,352 | 5,147 | 1.72 | -678 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 435 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 Bellinger 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 | #5,917 | #6,352 | -7.4% |
| Count | 5,825 | 5,147 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.72 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bellinger bearers went from 5,825 to 5,147 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 435 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,917 to #6,352.
FAQ
Bellinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bellinger?
Name Census estimates that about 5,902 living Americans carry the surname Bellinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,074 residents.
How common is Bellinger?
Bellinger ranks #6,352 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,147 people with the surname Bellinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,902), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bellinger.
Has Bellinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bellinger went from 5,825 recorded bearers to 5,147. That is a decrease of 678 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,917 to #6,352.
What does the Census say about the background of Bellinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bellinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (3,392 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bellinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Black (24.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Bellinger (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 Bellinger mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a bell-founder or bell-ringer. 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 Bellinger (1.72 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 share the surname Bellinger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.