2000
#83,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 209
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Bellwood
A locational surname derived from a place called Bellwood, meaning "beautiful wood".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 237 Americans carry the last name Bellwood. That puts it at #94,713 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,446,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bellwood 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 Bellwood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
237
1 in 1,446,221
Census rank
#94,713
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
207
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 207 bearers of the surname Bellwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 94713th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bellwood
The surname BELLWOOD is of English origin, emerging in the late 12th century in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English words "bell," meaning a bell or bell-shaped structure, and "wudu," meaning a wood or forest. This likely referred to someone who lived near a wooded area where bells were rung, such as a church or monastery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246, where it is spelled "de Bellewude." This spelling variation highlights the name's connection to a specific place or location.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various Yorkshire records, including the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which mention a John de Belwode. This suggests the name was well-established in the region by that time.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name BELLWOOD. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Bellewode and Bellewodehouse, which may have influenced the surname's origin.
Notable individuals with the surname BELLWOOD include:
1. Thomas Bellwood (c. 1530-1592), an English Member of Parliament for Grimsby in 1563.
2. Edward Bellwood (1676-1752), an English landowner and banker from Yorkshire.
3. Mary Bellwood (1744-1813), an English philanthropist and pioneer of women's education in London.
4. John Bellwood (1798-1876), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War.
5. William Bellwood (1887-1962), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.
Throughout history, the surname BELLWOOD has maintained its connection to its English roots, with various spellings reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolutions over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bellwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bellwood 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 Bellwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 182
- Two or more races6.8% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bellwood
Bellwood 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
#95,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190
-19 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 12,337 places
2020
#94,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
+17 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 1,242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,618 | 209 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,955 | 190 | 0.06 | -19 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 12,337 places |
| 2020 | #94,713 | 207 | 0.07 | +17 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 1,242 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 Bellwood 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 | #95,955 | #94,713 | 1.3% |
| Count | 190 | 207 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bellwood bearers went from 190 to 207 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 1,242 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,955 to #94,713.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bellwood
FAQ
Bellwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bellwood?
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the surname Bellwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,446,221 residents.
How common is Bellwood?
Bellwood ranks #94,713 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 207 people with the surname Bellwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Bellwood.
Has Bellwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bellwood went from 190 recorded bearers to 207. That is an increase of 17 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #95,955 to #94,713.
What does the Census say about the background of Bellwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Bellwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bellwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Bellwood (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 Bellwood mean?
A locational surname derived from a place called Bellwood, meaning "beautiful wood". 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 Bellwood (0.07 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 Bellwood?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.