2000
#6,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Bey
A Turkish title of nobility, akin to the English "Lord" or "Sir," indicating a high-ranking official or governor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,898 Americans carry the last name Bey. That puts it at #5,577 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,689 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bey 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.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,689
Census rank
#5,577
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,015 bearers of the surname Bey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5577th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (9.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bey
The surname "Bey" is of Turkish origin and its roots can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, which ruled a vast territory spanning from Southeast Europe to the Middle East and North Africa between the 14th and early 20th centuries. The name is derived from the Turkish title "Bey," which means "chieftain" or "leader."
During the Ottoman period, the title "Bey" was bestowed upon high-ranking officials, military commanders, and members of the aristocracy. Those who held this title often adopted it as part of their family name, giving rise to the surname "Bey." The name is particularly prevalent in regions that were once part of the Ottoman Empire, including modern-day Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, and the Balkans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Bey" can be found in the 16th century, when Mustafa Bey, a renowned Ottoman military commander, played a crucial role in the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in 1522. Another notable figure from this period was Hüseyin Bey, the governor of Diyarbakır (a city in southeastern Turkey) in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name gained further prominence with the rise of the Kapudan Pasha, or the Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Cığalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha, born in 1608, was one such Kapudan Pasha who bore the surname "Bey." He played a significant role in the naval campaigns of the Ottoman Empire during the Cretan War against the Venetians.
As the Ottoman Empire expanded its influence, the surname "Bey" spread to various regions under its control. In the 19th century, Mehmed Emin Bey, born in 1807, was a prominent Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the governor of several provinces, including Damascus and Aleppo.
Another notable figure bearing the surname "Bey" was Ziya Gökalp Bey, a Turkish sociologist, writer, and poet who lived from 1876 to 1924. He played a crucial role in shaping the ideological foundations of Turkish nationalism and is considered one of the pioneers of the Turkification movement.
While the surname "Bey" was initially associated with the Ottoman aristocracy and high-ranking officials, over time it became more widely adopted by families across the regions once governed by the Ottoman Empire. Today, the name can be found among people of various backgrounds and ethnicities throughout Turkey, the Balkans, and the Middle East.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bey
Among Census respondents with the surname Bey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (9.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bey 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 Bey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.8% · 3,356
- White24.3% · 1,459
- Two or more races9.5% · 572
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 394
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 172
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bey
Bey 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
#6,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,453
+644 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Up 245 places
2020
#5,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,015
+562 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Up 688 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,510 | 4,809 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,265 | 5,453 | 1.85 | +644 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 245 places |
| 2020 | #5,577 | 6,015 | 2.01 | +562 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 688 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 Bey 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 | #6,265 | #5,577 | 11.0% |
| Count | 5,453 | 6,015 | 10.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 2.01 | 8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bey bearers went from 5,453 to 6,015 (+10.3% change). The surname moved up 688 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,265 to #5,577.
FAQ
Bey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bey?
Name Census estimates that about 6,898 living Americans carry the surname Bey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,689 residents.
How common is Bey?
Bey ranks #5,577 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,015 people with the surname Bey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,898), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bey.
Has Bey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bey went from 5,453 recorded bearers to 6,015. That is an increase of 562 (+10.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,265 to #5,577.
What does the Census say about the background of Bey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (9.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.8% (3,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (55.8%), White (24.3%), Two or More Races (9.5%). 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 Bey (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 Bey mean?
A Turkish title of nobility, akin to the English "Lord" or "Sir," indicating a high-ranking official or governor. 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 Bey (2.01 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 Bey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.