2000
#10,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Bickley
Derived from a place name meaning "bee wood clearing" in Old English, referring to a person who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,808 Americans carry the last name Bickley. That puts it at #12,151 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,064 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bickley 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 Bickley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,064
Census rank
#12,151
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,449 bearers of the surname Bickley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12151st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bickley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bickley
The surname Bickley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "bic" meaning a brook or stream, and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow. The name likely originated in the medieval period, referring to someone who lived near a brook in a meadow or clearing.
The surname is found in various historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bichelei" and "Bichelie". This suggests the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Sir John Bickley, a knight who lived in Cheshire, England, in the 13th century. Another early bearer was Richard Bickley, a member of the English Parliament from Worcestershire in the late 14th century.
The surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Bickley in Cheshire, Bickley in Bromley (Greater London), and Bickley in Devon. These places likely gave rise to some instances of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt their place of residence as a surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Bickley throughout history include:
1. George Whiting Bickley (1819-1867), an English architect known for designing churches and public buildings in London and other parts of England.
2. Alured Bickley (1888-1954), a British army officer and writer who served in World War I and wrote several books on military history and strategy.
3. Frances Bickley (1784-1844), an English author and poet who wrote several works of fiction and poetry in the early 19th century.
4. Albert Claudius Bickley (1839-1926), a British civil servant and administrator who served as the Chief Secretary of the Federated Malay States from 1897 to 1902.
5. William Bickley (1617-1671), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Sion College in London in the mid-17th century.
While the surname Bickley is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a long and well-documented history, with roots stretching back to medieval England and various notable bearers throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bickley
Among Census respondents with the surname Bickley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bickley 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 Bickley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 2,040
- Black or African American10.2% · 251
- Two or more races3.2% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bickley
Bickley 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
#11,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
+9 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 766 places
2020
#12,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,449
-224 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 429 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,956 | 2,664 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,722 | 2,673 | 0.91 | +9 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 766 places |
| 2020 | #12,151 | 2,449 | 0.82 | -224 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 429 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 Bickley 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 | #11,722 | #12,151 | -3.7% |
| Count | 2,673 | 2,449 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.82 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bickley bearers went from 2,673 to 2,449 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 429 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,722 to #12,151.
FAQ
Bickley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bickley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,808 living Americans carry the surname Bickley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,064 residents.
How common is Bickley?
Bickley ranks #12,151 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,449 people with the surname Bickley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Bickley.
Has Bickley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bickley went from 2,673 recorded bearers to 2,449. That is a decrease of 224 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,722 to #12,151.
What does the Census say about the background of Bickley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bickley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Bickley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (2,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bickley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (10.2%), Two or More Races (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 Bickley (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 Bickley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bee wood clearing" in Old English, referring to a person who lived there. 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 Bickley (0.82 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 Bickley?
Find out how many people are called Bickley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.