Find out how popular the last name Belval is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Belval.

Belval, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Belval surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Belval in America

Belval is the 71478th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Belval surname appeared 273 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Belval.

We can also compare 2010 data for Belval to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Belval

The surname BELVAL originated in France, specifically in the Normandy region. It is thought to date back to the 11th or 12th century. BELVAL is derived from the French words "bel" meaning "beautiful" and "val" meaning "valley." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a picturesque valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BELVAL surname appears in the "Livre Terrien de Philippe d'Alsace," a land registry compiled in the late 12th century. This document lists a "Raoul de Belval" as a landowner in the Normandy region. Another early reference is found in the "Chartrier Tourangeau," a collection of charters from the Touraine region, which mentions a "Geoffroy Belval" in the year 1216.

The BELVAL name can also be traced back to various place names in Normandy, such as the villages of Belval-en-Argonne and Belval-Bois-des-Dames. These place names likely predate the surname and may have influenced its adoption.

Among notable individuals bearing the BELVAL surname throughout history is Jean de Belval (c. 1290 - 1368), a French knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. Another prominent figure was Guillaume Belval (1530 - 1592), a French architect who worked on several notable buildings in Paris, including the Tuileries Palace.

In the 17th century, Jacques Belval (1610 - 1675) was a French physician and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of medicinal plants. During the same period, Marie Belval (1642 - 1718) was a French poet and playwright whose works were performed at the court of Louis XIV.

Moving into the 19th century, Léon Belval (1826 - 1892) was a French artist known for his landscape paintings, particularly those depicting scenes from the Normandy countryside.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the BELVAL surname, a name with deep roots in the Normandy region of France and a rich history spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Belval

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Belval.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Belval was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Belval has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Belval was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Belval, please contact us.

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