2000
#3,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.01
Uncommon Last name
Bethea
A Norman French habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Béthencourt or Béthencourte.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,034 Americans carry the last name Bethea. That puts it at #3,086 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,297 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bethea 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
13K
1 in 26,297
Census rank
#3,086
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,366 bearers of the surname Bethea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3086th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bethea, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bethea
The surname Bethea originated in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bothæ," which means "dwelling" or "hut." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term referring to a person who lived in a small dwelling or a group of huts.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, there is a mention of a person named William de la Bothe. This early spelling variation, "Bothe," indicates the surname's roots in the Old English word "bothæ."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as "Botha," "Bothe," and "Bothey." This reflects the inconsistencies in spelling during that era due to the lack of standardized orthography.
One notable historical reference to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, where a person named John Botha is mentioned. This record provides evidence of the surname's presence in Yorkshire during the medieval period.
The earliest known person with the surname Bethea was John Bethea, born around 1550 in England. He was a farmer and landowner in the village of Halton, Buckinghamshire. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Bethea, born in 1587 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a merchant and trader involved in the wool trade.
In the 17th century, the surname gained prominence with the birth of Sir Henry Bethea (1617-1690), a prominent English politician and member of Parliament for the borough of Taunton. He was known for his strong support of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
During the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname was William Bethea (1726-1798), a Scottish philosopher and writer. He wrote extensively on moral philosophy and was influential in the Scottish Enlightenment movement.
In the 19th century, James Bethea (1832-1912) was a prominent farmer and landowner in South Carolina, United States. He played a significant role in the development of the region's agricultural practices and was respected in his community.
Throughout its history, the surname Bethea has undergone various spelling variations, including Bethey, Bethy, Beathey, and Beathie. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences in different parts of the British Isles where the name was present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bethea
Among Census respondents with the surname Bethea, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bethea 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 Bethea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.1% · 8,195
- White19.2% · 2,181
- Two or more races5.0% · 573
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 342
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bethea
Bethea 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
#2,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,061
+1,250 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 4.09
Rank movement Up 101 places
2020
#3,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,366
-695 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,073 | 10,811 | 4.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,972 | 12,061 | 4.09 | +1,250 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 101 places |
| 2020 | #3,086 | 11,366 | 3.80 | -695 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 114 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 Bethea 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 | #2,972 | #3,086 | -3.8% |
| Count | 12,061 | 11,366 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.09 | 3.80 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bethea bearers went from 12,061 to 11,366 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,972 to #3,086.
FAQ
Bethea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bethea?
Name Census estimates that about 13,034 living Americans carry the surname Bethea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,297 residents.
How common is Bethea?
Bethea ranks #3,086 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,366 people with the surname Bethea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,034), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Bethea.
Has Bethea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bethea went from 12,061 recorded bearers to 11,366. That is a decrease of 695 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,972 to #3,086.
What does the Census say about the background of Bethea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bethea, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.1%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bethea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (8,195 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bethea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (72.1%), White (19.2%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Bethea (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 Bethea mean?
A Norman French habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Béthencourt or Béthencourte. 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 Bethea (3.80 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 Bethea?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Bethea at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.