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

Bem, 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 Bem surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bem in America

Bem is the 59603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bem surname appeared 339 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 Bem.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bem 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 Bem

The surname "Bem" has its origins in Poland and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "bien," which means "to beat" or "to strike." This suggests that the name may have referred to an occupation or a physical characteristic associated with striking or beating.

In the early 16th century, the name appeared in various historical records and documents from the region, such as the "Ksiegi Metrykalne" (Metrical Books) and the "Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie" (Court and Land Records). One of the earliest recorded examples of the name was Andrzej Bem, a nobleman from the Lublin region, who was mentioned in the "Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie" in 1527.

The name "Bem" was also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Józef Bem (1794-1850), a Polish general and national hero who fought in the November Uprising against the Russian Empire and later served in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-1849. Another notable figure was Marek Bem (1653-1728), a Polish Jesuit priest and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of combinatorics.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name "Bem" was found in various regions of Poland, particularly in the areas around Lublin, Krakow, and Lviv (now in Ukraine). During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Biem" or "Bym," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

One interesting historical reference to the name "Bem" can be found in the "Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie" from the town of Biała Podlaska, which mentions a landowner named Jan Bem in the year 1688. Additionally, the name "Bem" was associated with the village of Bęczyn, located in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship of Poland, suggesting a possible connection to a place name.

Other notable individuals with the surname "Bem" include Kazimierz Bem (1765-1838), a Polish military officer and participant in the Kosciuszko Uprising, and Jerzy Bem (1918-1998), a Polish writer and translator who specialized in works related to science fiction and fantasy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bem

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

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 Bem 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 Bem 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 Bem was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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