2000
#8,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Bellows
An occupational surname referring to a maker or user of bellows, a device for blowing air into a fire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,075 Americans carry the last name Bellows. That puts it at #8,849 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,111 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bellows 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 Bellows with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,111
Census rank
#8,849
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,554 bearers of the surname Bellows in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8849th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellows, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bellows
The surname Bellows is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "bylg," which referred to a leather bag or pouch used for carrying air or wind. This term was later applied to the device used for blowing air into a fire, known as a bellows.
The earliest known record of the surname Bellows dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various tax rolls and parish records across different regions of England. One of the earliest documented individuals bearing this name was William le Bellewes, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
In the 14th century, the surname was also found in various spellings, such as Bellowes, Bellewes, and Belous, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common during that era. One notable individual from this period was John Belous, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1348.
The Bellows surname was also associated with certain place names, such as Bellows in Northamptonshire and Bellows Green in Staffordshire. These locations likely played a role in the development and spread of the surname throughout different regions of England.
Several notable individuals have borne the Bellows surname throughout history, including:
1. Henry Whitney Bellows (1814-1882), an American clergyman and writer known for his work on the translation of the Poetic Edda.
2. Albert Bellows (1829-1883), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 27th Governor of Vermont from 1869 to 1872.
3. John Bellows (1831-1902), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Bellows Falls Canal Company in Vermont.
4. Henry Adams Bellows (1885-1939), an American lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1935 to 1939.
5. George Bellows (1882-1925), an American realist painter known for his depictions of urban life in New York City during the early 20th century.
While the Bellows surname has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to various other parts of the world, including North America, where many individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bellows
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellows, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bellows 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 Bellows surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 3,125
- Black or African American5.7% · 201
- Two or more races3.2% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bellows
Bellows 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
#9,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,601
-9 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 671 places
2020
#8,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,554
-47 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,409 | 3,610 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,080 | 3,601 | 1.22 | -9 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 671 places |
| 2020 | #8,849 | 3,554 | 1.19 | -47 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 231 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 Bellows 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 | #9,080 | #8,849 | 2.5% |
| Count | 3,601 | 3,554 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.19 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bellows bearers went from 3,601 to 3,554 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 231 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,080 to #8,849.
FAQ
Bellows surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bellows?
Name Census estimates that about 4,075 living Americans carry the surname Bellows. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,111 residents.
How common is Bellows?
Bellows ranks #8,849 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,554 people with the surname Bellows. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,075), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Bellows.
Has Bellows become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bellows went from 3,601 recorded bearers to 3,554. That is a decrease of 47 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,080 to #8,849.
What does the Census say about the background of Bellows?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellows, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bellows in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (3,125 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bellows appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bellows (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 Bellows mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or user of bellows, a device for blowing air into a fire. 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 Bellows (1.19 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 Bellows?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.