2000
#7,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.57
Rare Last name
Bevins
Derived from a French place name, likely referring to someone from a town called Beauvain or Beauvoir.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,510 Americans carry the last name Bevins. That puts it at #8,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,999 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bevins 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 Bevins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,999
Census rank
#8,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,933 bearers of the surname Bevins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevins, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bevins
The surname Bevins is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Bevin" or "Bevyn", a diminutive form of the name "Beves" or "Bevis". This name is thought to have originated from the Old German name "Bavo", which means "brave" or "valiant".
The Bevins surname is believed to have first appeared in records during the 13th century in various counties across England, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Devon. It is likely that the name was brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bevins surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Berkshire from 1273, which mentions a person named "Walter Bevyn". The Bevins name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a "John Bevyn" is listed.
In the 15th century, the surname was sometimes spelled as "Bevans", as evidenced by a record from 1469 mentioning a "John Bevans" from Gloucestershire. This alternative spelling may have been influenced by the place name "Bevan" or "Bevan's Hill" in Gloucestershire.
Notable individuals with the Bevins surname throughout history include:
1. Richard Bevins (c.1550-1628), an English Puritan minister and author known for his work "A Treatise on the Lord's Supper".
2. John Bevins (1588-1647), an English clergyman and author of the book "De Vitae Aeternae Termino" (On the End of Eternal Life).
3. William Bevins (1639-1696), an English Quaker writer and activist who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs.
4. Ephraim Bevins (1672-1738), an English Quaker minister and author of several religious works.
5. Thomas Bevins (1701-1773), an English surveyor and cartographer who produced maps of various counties in England.
While the Bevins surname has origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through British emigration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bevins
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevins, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bevins 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 Bevins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 3,460
- Black or African American3.5% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 124
- Two or more races3.1% · 122
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bevins
Bevins 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
#7,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,322
+93 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 413 places
2020
#8,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,933
-389 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,269 | 4,229 | 1.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,682 | 4,322 | 1.47 | +93 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 413 places |
| 2020 | #8,071 | 3,933 | 1.32 | -389 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 389 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 Bevins 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 | #7,682 | #8,071 | -5.1% |
| Count | 4,322 | 3,933 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.32 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bevins bearers went from 4,322 to 3,933 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 389 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,682 to #8,071.
FAQ
Bevins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bevins?
Name Census estimates that about 4,510 living Americans carry the surname Bevins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,999 residents.
How common is Bevins?
Bevins ranks #8,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,933 people with the surname Bevins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Bevins.
Has Bevins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bevins went from 4,322 recorded bearers to 3,933. That is a decrease of 389 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,682 to #8,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Bevins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bevins, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (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 Bevins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (3,460 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bevins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (3.5%), Hispanic (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 Bevins (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 Bevins mean?
Derived from a French place name, likely referring to someone from a town called Beauvain or Beauvoir. 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 Bevins (1.32 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 Bevins?
Find out how common the surname Bevins is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.