2000
#5,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,665
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Bettis
Derived from a diminutive of Bartholomew, meaning "son of Bette," likely referring to a notable ancestor with that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,132 Americans carry the last name Bettis. That puts it at #6,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bettis 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 Bettis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 55,896
Census rank
#6,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,347 bearers of the surname Bettis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bettis
Among Census respondents with the surname Bettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bettis 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 Bettis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.5% · 3,558
- Black or African American24.5% · 1,309
- Two or more races4.5% · 240
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 177
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bettis
Bettis 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
#5,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,931
+266 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 210 places
2020
#6,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,347
-584 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 313 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,619 | 5,665 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,829 | 5,931 | 2.01 | +266 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 210 places |
| 2020 | #6,142 | 5,347 | 1.79 | -584 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 313 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 Bettis 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 | #5,829 | #6,142 | -5.4% |
| Count | 5,931 | 5,347 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.79 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bettis bearers went from 5,931 to 5,347 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 313 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,829 to #6,142.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bettis
FAQ
Bettis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bettis?
Name Census estimates that about 6,132 living Americans carry the surname Bettis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,896 residents.
How common is Bettis?
Bettis ranks #6,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,347 people with the surname Bettis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bettis.
Has Bettis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bettis went from 5,931 recorded bearers to 5,347. That is a decrease of 584 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,829 to #6,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Bettis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bettis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.5% (3,558 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bettis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.5%), Black (24.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bettis (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 Bettis mean?
Derived from a diminutive of Bartholomew, meaning "son of Bette," likely referring to a notable ancestor with that name. 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 Bettis (1.79 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 Bettis?
Find out how common the surname Bettis is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.