2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bese
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the English word "beast".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Bese. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bese 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.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Bese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bese, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bese
The surname Bese is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English word "bece," which means "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bese can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Godric Bese in Berkshire.
In the 13th century, the surname Bese appeared in various records and documents, sometimes spelled as "Besse" or "Besse." For example, a Robert Besse is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202.
The surname Bese may also be associated with certain place names, such as Besse in Hertfordshire or Besse in Shropshire. It's possible that the name originated from these locations or that individuals from these areas adopted the surname.
One notable individual with the surname Bese was John Bese, a 14th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Worcester from 1337 to 1349.
Another person of historical significance was Sir John Bese, a 15th-century English knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses. He was born around 1420 and died in 1492.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure with the surname Bese was Thomas Bese, an English theologian and author who lived from 1525 to 1598. He wrote several works on religious topics.
The surname Bese also has connections to the Netherlands, where a variant spelling, "Besse," was common. One notable Dutch figure was Adriaen Besse, a 17th-century painter who was active in Amsterdam.
Finally, in the 18th century, there was John Bese, an English botanist and naturalist who lived from 1720 to 1789. He made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bese
Among Census respondents with the surname Bese, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bese 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 Bese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 101
- Black or African American6.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bese
Bese 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,591 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,591 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Up 3,319 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 Bese 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 | #148,347 | #145,028 | 2.2% |
| Count | 111 | 116 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bese bearers went from 111 to 116 (+4.5% change). The surname moved up 3,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #145,028.
FAQ
Bese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bese?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Bese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Bese?
Bese ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Bese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bese.
Has Bese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bese went from 111 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 5 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Bese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bese, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%). 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 Bese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (6.0%), Hispanic (6.0%). 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 Bese (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 Bese mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the English word "beast". 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 Bese (0.04 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 Bese?
See how many people have the last name Bese on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.