2000
#7,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,863
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Bibb
A surname referring to a person who lived near a stream, derived from the Middle English word "bibbe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,244 Americans carry the last name Bibb. That puts it at #8,535 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bibb 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 Bibb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,762
Census rank
#8,535
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,701 bearers of the surname Bibb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8535th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bibb, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bibb
The surname BIBB originated in England in the late 12th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old English word "bybbe," which means a bundle or roll of yarn or cloth. The name was likely given to someone who worked as a trader or merchant dealing in rolls of cloth or yarn.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BIBB surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1199, where a person named William Bibbe is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is spelled as "Bybbe."
In the late 13th century, the BIBB surname was found in various places across England, including Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Berkshire. Some of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname include Bybbe's Green in Wiltshire and Bybbe's Farm in Gloucestershire.
One notable individual with the BIBB surname was John Bibb (1615-1692), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in Dorset during the 17th century.
Another prominent figure was William Bibb (1773-1820), an American lawyer and politician who served as the first governor of the state of Alabama from 1819 to 1820. He was born in Amelia County, Virginia.
In the 19th century, George Bibb (1776-1859) was a prominent American jurist and politician who served as the Secretary of the Treasury under President John Tyler from 1844 to 1845. He was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia.
The surname BIBB also has connections to the literary world. John Bibb Jr. (1801-1868) was an American writer and poet who published several works, including "Adventures of Colonel Daniel Boon" and "The Life of Jenghiz Khan."
Finally, William Bibb Bankhead (1872-1920) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama from 1917 until his death in 1920.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bibb
Among Census respondents with the surname Bibb, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bibb 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 Bibb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.6% · 2,427
- Black or African American24.0% · 887
- Two or more races5.3% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bibb
Bibb 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
#8,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,796
-67 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 709 places
2020
#8,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,701
-95 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,946 | 3,863 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,655 | 3,796 | 1.29 | -67 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 709 places |
| 2020 | #8,535 | 3,701 | 1.24 | -95 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 120 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 Bibb 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 | #8,655 | #8,535 | 1.4% |
| Count | 3,796 | 3,701 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.24 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bibb bearers went from 3,796 to 3,701 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,655 to #8,535.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bibb
FAQ
Bibb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bibb?
Name Census estimates that about 4,244 living Americans carry the surname Bibb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,762 residents.
How common is Bibb?
Bibb ranks #8,535 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,701 people with the surname Bibb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Bibb.
Has Bibb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bibb went from 3,796 recorded bearers to 3,701. That is a decrease of 95 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,655 to #8,535.
What does the Census say about the background of Bibb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bibb, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Bibb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.6% (2,427 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bibb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.6%), Black (24.0%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Bibb (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 Bibb mean?
A surname referring to a person who lived near a stream, derived from the Middle English word "bibbe." 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 Bibb (1.24 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 have the last name Bibb?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Bibb, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.