2000
#3,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.42
Uncommon Last name
Bess
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "besse," meaning a spade or shovel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,499 Americans carry the last name Bess. That puts it at #3,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,646 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bess 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 Bess with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,646
Census rank
#3,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,156 bearers of the surname Bess in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bess, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (34.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bess
The surname Bess originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "bessee," which means "embraced" or "kissed." This name may have been given to someone who was particularly affectionate or fond of embracing others.
Bess was initially a nickname or descriptive name that later became a hereditary surname. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it was spelled as "Besse."
In the 14th century, the name Bess was found in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which listed a John Besse. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1327 also mentioned a William Besse.
The Bess surname was also present in historical documents such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1379, which recorded a Robert Besse. Additionally, the Poll Tax records of Yorkshire from 1379 listed a John Besse.
One notable individual with the surname Bess was William Bess (1554-1611), an English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent figure was Sir John Bess (1615-1674), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, a noteworthy individual with the surname Bess was Robert Bess (1710-1784), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several battles during the Seven Years' War.
The name Bess has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Bess Park in Gloucestershire and Bess Wood in Worcestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the surname over time.
Other individuals who bore the surname Bess include Edward Bess (1790-1854), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes, and William Bess (1825-1901), a British engineer and inventor who developed improvements in steam engine technology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bess
Among Census respondents with the surname Bess, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (34.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bess 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 Bess surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.1% · 5,046
- Black or African American34.2% · 3,127
- Two or more races4.7% · 431
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 422
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bess
Bess 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
#3,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,663
+434 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.28
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#3,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,156
-507 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,532 | 9,229 | 3.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,677 | 9,663 | 3.28 | +434 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #3,781 | 9,156 | 3.06 | -507 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 104 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 Bess 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 | #3,677 | #3,781 | -2.8% |
| Count | 9,663 | 9,156 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.28 | 3.06 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bess bearers went from 9,663 to 9,156 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,677 to #3,781.
FAQ
Bess surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bess?
Name Census estimates that about 10,499 living Americans carry the surname Bess. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,646 residents.
How common is Bess?
Bess ranks #3,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.06 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 9,156 people with the surname Bess. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.06 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 Bess.
Has Bess become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bess went from 9,663 recorded bearers to 9,156. That is a decrease of 507 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,677 to #3,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Bess?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bess, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (34.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Bess in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.1% (5,046 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bess appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.1%), Black (34.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Bess (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 Bess mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "besse," meaning a spade or shovel. 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 Bess (3.06 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 common is the surname Bess?
See how many people have the surname Bess on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.