2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Besh
A surname derived from a Turkish personal name of Arabic origin meaning "happy" or "cheerful".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Besh. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Besh 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Besh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Besh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Besh
The surname BESH originates from the Arabic language and can be traced back to the 8th century in the Middle East. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "basha," which means a leader or commander. The name was commonly used among the ruling classes and military officials in the region during the early Islamic period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BESH surname can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab historian and geographer, Al-Baladhuri, who lived in the 9th century. He mentioned a prominent military commander named Besh bin Malik, who led the Arab armies during the conquest of Persia.
In the 11th century, the BESH name appeared in several manuscripts detailing the exploits of the Seljuk Empire, a medieval Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire that ruled over large parts of Central Asia and the Middle East. One notable figure was Besh al-Din, a renowned Seljuk vizier and military strategist who served under Sultan Alp Arslan.
During the 13th century, a branch of the BESH family migrated to Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and settled in the city of Konya. This branch produced several notable scholars and poets, including Besh al-Din Rumi (1207-1273), a renowned Sufi mystic and poet who is considered one of the greatest spiritual masters in the Islamic world.
In the 16th century, the BESH surname gained prominence in the Ottoman Empire, with several members of the family holding high-ranking positions in the imperial court and military. One such figure was Besh Mustafa Pasha (1564-1628), a grand vizier and military commander who played a crucial role in the Ottoman-Safavid War.
Another notable individual with the BESH surname was Besh Ali Khan (1728-1806), a prominent Afghan ruler who founded the Durrani Empire and played a pivotal role in the formation of modern-day Afghanistan. He was known for his military prowess and successful campaigns against the Persian and Mughal empires.
Throughout history, the BESH surname has been associated with leadership, military prowess, and scholarly pursuits, reflecting its Arabic roots and the prominent roles held by individuals bearing this name in various Middle Eastern and Central Asian empires.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Besh
Among Census respondents with the surname Besh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Besh 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 Besh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 105
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Besh
Besh 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,400 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,400 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,616 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 Besh 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 | #144,141 | #145,757 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115 | 115 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Besh bearers went from 115 to 115 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,757.
FAQ
Besh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Besh?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Besh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Besh?
Besh ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Besh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Besh.
Has Besh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Besh went from 115 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Besh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Besh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Besh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Besh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Besh (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 Besh mean?
A surname derived from a Turkish personal name of Arabic origin meaning "happy" or "cheerful". 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 Besh (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 Americans have the surname Besh?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.