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

Bettis, 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 Bettis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bettis in America

Bettis is the 5829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bettis surname appeared 5,931 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bettis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bettis 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 Bettis

The surname BETTIS is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "bett", meaning a "bet" or "wager". It is likely that the name originally referred to someone who was a habitual gambler or bettor.

The earliest known record of the surname BETTIS dates back to the 13th century in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is believed that the name may have originated from the village of Bettis, which was located near the town of Grantham.

In the Domesday Book, a historical manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there is a reference to a landowner named Radulfus de Bettis, who held estates in the county of Nottinghamshire.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname BETTIS is that of John Bettis, who was born in 1412 in the village of Bettis, Lincolnshire. He was a prominent wool merchant and served as a member of the local council.

Sir Henry Bettis (1502-1572) was a renowned English soldier and statesman who served under King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the English Reformation and was knighted for his services to the crown.

Another notable figure was William Bettis (1672-1738), an English explorer and navigator who led several expeditions to the West Indies and the Caribbean. He is credited with discovering and mapping several islands in the region.

In the literary world, Mary Bettis (1789-1865) was an English poet and writer who published a collection of poems titled "The Garland of Love" in 1825.

Robert Bettis (1823-1892) was an American businessman and industrialist who founded the Bettis Manufacturing Company, which produced iron and steel products in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Throughout history, the BETTIS surname has been recorded with various spellings, such as Bettys, Bettyes, and Bettes, reflecting the regional variations and spelling conventions of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bettis

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

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

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

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