2000
#7,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Bevan
A Welsh patronymic surname meaning "son of Evan," derived from the Welsh form of the name John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,549 Americans carry the last name Bevan. That puts it at #8,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bevan 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 Bevan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,347
Census rank
#8,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,967 bearers of the surname Bevan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bevan
The surname Bevan is of Welsh origin, derived from the personal name Beva or Bevan, which itself is a pet form of the masculine name Bevyn. This name is believed to be derived from the Welsh word "bev," meaning "life" or "living." The name Bevan was first recorded in the 13th century in the southern regions of Wales, particularly in the counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Bevan dates back to the 14th century, when a William Bevan was mentioned in the Calender of Patent Rolls for Glamorgan in 1349. There are also mentions of the name in the Cartae et Alia Munimenta, a collection of ancient Welsh manuscripts from the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Bevan surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent figures was Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960), a Welsh Labour Party politician who played a crucial role in the establishment of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. Another notable individual was Robert Cooper Lee Bevan (1809-1890), a British lawyer and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1858-1859.
Other notable Bevans include Edwyn Bevan (1870-1943), a British scholar and author who wrote extensively on early Christianity and the history of the Middle East, and Pauline Bevan (1908-1963), a Welsh operatic soprano who performed with the Royal Opera House and other prestigious opera companies.
The surname Bevan has also been linked to various place names in Wales, such as Bevan's Hill in Monmouthshire and Bevan's Quarry in Glamorgan. These place names likely derive from individuals with the surname Bevan who resided or owned property in those areas.
Throughout its history, the surname Bevan has undergone various spelling variations, including Bevyn, Bevan, Beaven, Beven, and Bevans. These variations reflect the linguistic and regional differences in the pronunciation and recording of the name across different parts of Wales and the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bevan
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bevan 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 Bevan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,616
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 152
- Two or more races3.2% · 128
- Black or African American0.8% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bevan
Bevan 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
#8,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,114
+177 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 263 places
2020
#8,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,967
-147 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,782 | 3,937 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,045 | 4,114 | 1.39 | +177 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 263 places |
| 2020 | #8,010 | 3,967 | 1.33 | -147 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 35 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 Bevan 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 | #8,045 | #8,010 | 0.4% |
| Count | 4,114 | 3,967 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.33 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bevan bearers went from 4,114 to 3,967 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,045 to #8,010.
FAQ
Bevan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bevan?
Name Census estimates that about 4,549 living Americans carry the surname Bevan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,347 residents.
How common is Bevan?
Bevan ranks #8,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,967 people with the surname Bevan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bevan.
Has Bevan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bevan went from 4,114 recorded bearers to 3,967. That is a decrease of 147 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,045 to #8,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Bevan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bevan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bevan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bevan (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 Bevan mean?
A Welsh patronymic surname meaning "son of Evan," derived from the Welsh form of the name John. 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 Bevan (1.33 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 people have the surname Bevan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.