2000
#6,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Bible
A surname derived from the Middle English word "bibel," referring to someone who read or sold bibles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,840 Americans carry the last name Bible. That puts it at #7,584 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bible 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
4.8K
1 in 70,817
Census rank
#7,584
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,221 bearers of the surname Bible in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7584th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bible, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bible
The surname BIBLE is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "bibel," which referred to the Christian holy book. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had a connection to the Bible, perhaps a scribe or a scholar who transcribed or studied the text.
The earliest recorded instances of the BIBLE surname can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is John Bible, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Another early record is that of William Bible, who appeared in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327.
During the 16th century, the BIBLE surname was particularly prevalent in the county of Somerset, where several families bearing this name were recorded in parish registers and other local documents. One notable individual from this time was Thomas Bible, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Taunton in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the BIBLE surname began to spread more widely across England, with families settling in various parts of the country. One notable bearer of this name was John Bible, a prominent clergyman who served as the Rector of Wigan in Lancashire from 1671 until his death in 1696.
The 18th century saw the BIBLE name continue to be found throughout England, with several individuals achieving notable positions. One example is Sir Thomas Bible, who was born in 1734 and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Cricklade in Wiltshire.
As the centuries progressed, the BIBLE surname also gained a presence in other parts of the English-speaking world, particularly in North America and other former British colonies, as families emigrated from their homeland. One notable American bearing this name was George Bible, a soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and later became a prominent politician in Pennsylvania, serving as a member of the state's General Assembly in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bible
Among Census respondents with the surname Bible, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bible 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 Bible surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.0% · 3,291
- Black or African American8.4% · 354
- Two or more races5.5% · 231
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.9% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 161
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bible
Bible 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
#7,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,700
+138 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 313 places
2020
#7,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,221
-479 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 465 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,806 | 4,562 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,119 | 4,700 | 1.59 | +138 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 313 places |
| 2020 | #7,584 | 4,221 | 1.41 | -479 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 465 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 Bible 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 | #7,119 | #7,584 | -6.5% |
| Count | 4,700 | 4,221 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.41 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bible bearers went from 4,700 to 4,221 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 465 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,119 to #7,584.
FAQ
Bible surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bible?
Name Census estimates that about 4,840 living Americans carry the surname Bible. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,817 residents.
How common is Bible?
Bible ranks #7,584 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,221 people with the surname Bible. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,840), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Bible.
Has Bible become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bible went from 4,700 recorded bearers to 4,221. That is a decrease of 479 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,119 to #7,584.
What does the Census say about the background of Bible?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bible, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bible in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (3,291 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bible appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.0%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Bible (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 Bible mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English word "bibel," referring to someone who read or sold bibles. 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 Bible (1.41 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 surname Bible?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.