2000
#9,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Beveridge
From a place name derived from Old English, meaning "beaver stream" or "stream populated by beavers."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,397 Americans carry the last name Beveridge. That puts it at #10,336 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,899 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beveridge 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 Beveridge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,899
Census rank
#10,336
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,962 bearers of the surname Beveridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10336th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beveridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beveridge
The surname Beveridge is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "befer" meaning beaver and "hrycg" meaning ridge, referring to a ridge or hillock where beavers were found. It originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in the areas around Yorkshire and Northumberland, sometime in the 12th or 13th century.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219, where it is written as "Beverigg". Other early variations include "Beverigge", "Beveridge", and "Beveredge". These early spellings suggest that the name was initially associated with places or geographic features related to beavers.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Beveridge was Thomas Beveridge, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. Another early record is that of John Beveridge, who appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1379.
The Beveridge surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Beveridge in Durham and Beverley in East Yorkshire, which may have influenced the development and spread of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Beveridge throughout history include:
1. Sir William Beveridge (1879-1963), a British economist and social reformer, best known for his report on social insurance and allied services, which formed the basis for the modern British welfare state.
2. David Beveridge (1888-1965), a Scottish poet and author known for his works on Scottish folklore and traditions.
3. Henry Beveridge (1837-1929), a Scottish scholar and translator, renowned for his English translations of medieval Persian literature, including the works of Akbar and Jahangir.
4. Albert J. Beveridge (1862-1927), an American historian, scholar, and politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1899 to 1911.
5. James Beveridge (1805-1883), a Scottish-Canadian agriculturalist and politician, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.
The surname Beveridge has a rich history rooted in the northern counties of England, with its origins dating back to the 12th or 13th century. While it initially referred to places associated with beavers, the name has since been carried by notable individuals across various fields, including economics, literature, politics, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beveridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Beveridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Beveridge 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 Beveridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,748
- Two or more races2.5% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 62
- Black or African American1.6% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beveridge
Beveridge 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
#10,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,095
-71 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 988 places
2020
#10,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,962
-133 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,420 | 3,166 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,408 | 3,095 | 1.05 | -71 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 988 places |
| 2020 | #10,336 | 2,962 | 0.99 | -133 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 72 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 Beveridge 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 | #10,408 | #10,336 | 0.7% |
| Count | 3,095 | 2,962 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.99 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beveridge bearers went from 3,095 to 2,962 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,408 to #10,336.
FAQ
Beveridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beveridge?
Name Census estimates that about 3,397 living Americans carry the surname Beveridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,899 residents.
How common is Beveridge?
Beveridge ranks #10,336 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,962 people with the surname Beveridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,397), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Beveridge.
Has Beveridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beveridge went from 3,095 recorded bearers to 2,962. That is a decrease of 133 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,408 to #10,336.
What does the Census say about the background of Beveridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beveridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Beveridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beveridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Beveridge (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 Beveridge mean?
From a place name derived from Old English, meaning "beaver stream" or "stream populated by beavers." 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 Beveridge (0.99 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 are called Beveridge?
If you just want to know how common the surname Beveridge is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.