2000
#12,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Bevilacqua
From Italian, meaning "drink the water," likely referring to someone who lived near a water source or well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,844 Americans carry the last name Bevilacqua. That puts it at #12,015 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,518 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bevilacqua 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 Bevilacqua with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,518
Census rank
#12,015
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,480 bearers of the surname Bevilacqua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12015th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevilacqua, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bevilacqua
The surname Bevilacqua originates from Italy, specifically from the southern region of Campania. It is believed to have derived from the Italian words "bevi" meaning "to drink" and "acqua" meaning "water." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a person who lived near a water source or whose occupation involved dealing with water.
The earliest recorded instances of the Bevilacqua name can be traced back to the 12th century in documents from the city of Naples. One notable early bearer of the name was Filippo Bevilacqua, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the late 13th century. Records from this period also indicate that the Bevilacqua family held significant influence in the region, owning several estates and properties.
In the 14th century, the Bevilacqua name appeared in records from the nearby town of Avellino, suggesting that members of the family had spread to other parts of Campania. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "Bevilacua" or "Bevilaqua," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Bevilacqua surname. One of the most renowned was Niccolò Bevilacqua (1510-1587), a prominent Italian jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in Venice. Another was Girolamo Bevilacqua (1594-1677), a Catholic prelate who was appointed as the Bishop of Capri in 1662.
In the 18th century, Antonio Bevilacqua (1718-1802) was a renowned architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Naples, including the Palazzo Bevilacqua, which still stands today as a testament to his architectural prowess.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Camillo Bevilacqua (1836-1919), an Italian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1898 to 1900. His contemporaries included Vincenzo Bevilacqua (1842-1919), a famous Italian painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
As the Bevilacqua surname spread throughout Italy and beyond, it continued to be associated with various notable individuals, reflecting the rich cultural and historical heritage of this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bevilacqua
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevilacqua, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bevilacqua 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 Bevilacqua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,294
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 129
- Two or more races1.6% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bevilacqua
Bevilacqua 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
#11,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,667
+278 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 254 places
2020
#12,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,480
-187 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,000 | 2,389 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,746 | 2,667 | 0.90 | +278 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 254 places |
| 2020 | #12,015 | 2,480 | 0.83 | -187 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 269 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 Bevilacqua 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 | #11,746 | #12,015 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,667 | 2,480 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.83 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bevilacqua bearers went from 2,667 to 2,480 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 269 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,746 to #12,015.
FAQ
Bevilacqua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bevilacqua?
Name Census estimates that about 2,844 living Americans carry the surname Bevilacqua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,518 residents.
How common is Bevilacqua?
Bevilacqua ranks #12,015 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,480 people with the surname Bevilacqua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Bevilacqua.
Has Bevilacqua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bevilacqua went from 2,667 recorded bearers to 2,480. That is a decrease of 187 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,746 to #12,015.
What does the Census say about the background of Bevilacqua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevilacqua, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Bevilacqua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bevilacqua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Bevilacqua (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 Bevilacqua mean?
From Italian, meaning "drink the water," likely referring to someone who lived near a water source or well. 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 Bevilacqua (0.83 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 Bevilacqua?
Find out how many people have the surname Bevilacqua on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.