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

Bever, 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 Bever surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bever in America

Bever is the 12525th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bever surname appeared 2,474 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bever.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bever 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 Bever

The surname Bever originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the city of Hamburg. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Low German word "bever," which means "beaver." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been associated with the hunting or trading of beavers, or perhaps resided near a body of water where beavers were commonly found.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bever surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. In this document, a merchant named Hinrich Bever is mentioned in a transaction from the year 1378.

The Bever surname also appears in various other historical records from the region, such as the Hamburgisches Urkundenbuch, which contains references to individuals with this name in the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a certain Claus Bever is listed as a resident of Hamburg in the year 1487.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Bever surname began to spread beyond northern Germany, as families migrated to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One notable individual from this period was Johann Bever, a German Protestant theologian born in 1594 in the town of Schmalkalden. He authored several religious works and served as a pastor in various churches throughout Germany.

In the 18th century, the Bever surname gained prominence in the Netherlands, where a family of that name became influential in the textile industry. Jacob Bever (1720-1786), a successful cloth merchant from Amsterdam, was known for his philanthropic efforts and his support of various charitable organizations.

Another notable figure with the Bever surname was Sir Thomas Bever Lees (1825-1891), a British businessman and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of Manchester from 1887 to 1888. He was also a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party.

While the Bever surname has its roots in northern Germany, it has since spread to various other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the region surrounding Hamburg, where it likely emerged as a name associated with the beaver or those involved in the trade or hunting of these animals.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bever

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

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

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

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