2000
#10,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,758
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Bever
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "beaver stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,665 Americans carry the last name Bever. That puts it at #12,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,613 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bever 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 Bever with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,613
Census rank
#12,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,324 bearers of the surname Bever in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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of the earliest recorded instances of the Bever surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bever
Among Census respondents with the surname Bever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bever 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 Bever surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,142
- Two or more races3.6% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bever
Bever 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
#12,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,474
-284 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 1,878 places
2020
#12,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,324
-150 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 160 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,647 | 2,758 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,525 | 2,474 | 0.84 | -284 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 1,878 places |
| 2020 | #12,685 | 2,324 | 0.78 | -150 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 160 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 Bever 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 | #12,525 | #12,685 | -1.3% |
| Count | 2,474 | 2,324 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.78 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bever bearers went from 2,474 to 2,324 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 160 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,525 to #12,685.
FAQ
Bever surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bever?
Name Census estimates that about 2,665 living Americans carry the surname Bever. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,613 residents.
How common is Bever?
Bever ranks #12,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,324 people with the surname Bever. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,665), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Bever.
Has Bever become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bever went from 2,474 recorded bearers to 2,324. That is a decrease of 150 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,525 to #12,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Bever?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Bever in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bever appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Bever (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 Bever mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "beaver stream." 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 Bever (0.78 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 share the surname Bever?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.