2000
#3,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.12
Rare Last name
Belt
An occupational surname referring to a maker of belts or girdles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,430 Americans carry the last name Belt. That puts it at #4,171 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belt 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 Belt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,347
Census rank
#4,171
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,223 bearers of the surname Belt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4171st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belt, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belt
The surname Belt is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "belt," which referred to a belt or girdle worn around the waist. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to someone who made or sold belts.
The first recorded instance of the surname Belt can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named Robert le Belter is mentioned. This early spelling variation, "le Belter," further supports the occupational origin of the name.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms in different regions of England. In the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327, a man named John Belter is listed. Similarly, in the Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire from 1379, a person named Willelmus Belt is recorded.
As the surname spread across different parts of England, it evolved into various spellings, such as Belte, Belter, and Beltere. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribes' interpretations of the name.
One notable historical figure with the surname Belt was William Belt, an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Huntingdon from 1620 to 1622. Another prominent individual was John Belt, a 17th-century English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, from 1663 to 1679.
In the 18th century, the name appears in the records of the Huguenot Society of London, suggesting that some Belt families may have been part of the Huguenot migration to England from France during that period.
Other notable individuals with the surname Belt include:
1. John Belt (1799-1856), an English inventor and engineer known for his contributions to the development of the first continuously revolving mechanical oven.
2. Thomas Belt (1832-1878), an English naturalist and geologist who studied the natural history of Nicaragua and wrote "The Naturalist in Nicaragua."
3. Elijah Belt (1800-1876), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 8th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio from 1854 to 1856.
4. Robert Belt (1872-1955), an English cricketer who played for Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
5. Harriet Belt (1816-1890), an American abolitionist and women's rights activist who worked alongside notable figures like William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belt
Among Census respondents with the surname Belt, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Belt 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 Belt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 6,419
- Black or African American12.4% · 1,019
- Two or more races4.1% · 334
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 260
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belt
Belt 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
#4,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,737
+315 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 191 places
2020
#4,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,223
-514 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,874 | 8,422 | 3.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,065 | 8,737 | 2.96 | +315 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 191 places |
| 2020 | #4,171 | 8,223 | 2.75 | -514 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 106 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 Belt 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 | #4,065 | #4,171 | -2.6% |
| Count | 8,737 | 8,223 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.96 | 2.75 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belt bearers went from 8,737 to 8,223 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,065 to #4,171.
FAQ
Belt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belt?
Name Census estimates that about 9,430 living Americans carry the surname Belt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,347 residents.
How common is Belt?
Belt ranks #4,171 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,223 people with the surname Belt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Belt.
Has Belt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belt went from 8,737 recorded bearers to 8,223. That is a decrease of 514 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,065 to #4,171.
What does the Census say about the background of Belt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belt, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Belt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (6,419 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Black (12.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Belt (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 Belt mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of belts or girdles. 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 Belt (2.75 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 last name Belt?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Belt at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.