2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Biden
A surname derived from the Old English personal name "Bida", meaning "one who requests" or "one who commands".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 272 Americans carry the last name Biden. That puts it at #85,054 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,260,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Biden 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 Biden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
272
1 in 1,260,126
Census rank
#85,054
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
237
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 237 bearers of the surname Biden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85054th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Biden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Biden
The surname Biden is believed to have originated in the English county of Sussex during the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "byd" and "denu," which together mean "a valley where byde or birch trees grow." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near such a valley or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Bidene." This entry refers to a landowner in the village of Bidene, which is now known as Biden in West Sussex. The name is also found in other medieval records from the region, sometimes spelled as "Bydden" or "Byddene."
In the 13th century, there are records of individuals with the surname Biden living in the nearby village of Cuckfield. A document from 1296 mentions a John de Bydden, who was likely a member of a local gentry family.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears to have spread beyond Sussex, with records showing Bidens living in various parts of southern England. One notable figure from this period was William Biden (c. 1550-1622), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Hampshire.
In the 18th century, several members of the Biden family were involved in the British colonial efforts in North America. Thomas Biden (1712-1789) was a ship's captain who transported settlers to the Virginia colony, while his nephew, James Biden (1745-1821), served as a soldier during the American Revolutionary War.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Sir John Biden (1785-1859), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in Devon and rose through the ranks to become an admiral in the Royal Navy.
As the centuries progressed, the Biden surname continued to appear in various parts of England, with some families also establishing roots in other parts of the British Isles and across the Atlantic in North America. While the name may have evolved from its Old English origins, it has maintained a strong presence throughout its long history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Biden
Among Census respondents with the surname Biden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Biden 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 Biden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 17
- Two or more races6.3% · 15
- Black or African American4.2% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Biden
Biden 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
#110,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
+18 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 4,027 places
2020
#85,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 237
+78 bearers (+49.1%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 25,771 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,825 | 159 | 0.05 | +18 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 4,027 places |
| 2020 | #85,054 | 237 | 0.08 | +78 bearers (+49.1%) | Up 25,771 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 Biden 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 | #110,825 | #85,054 | 23.3% |
| Count | 159 | 237 | 49.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.08 | 58.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Biden bearers went from 159 to 237 (+49.1% change). The surname moved up 25,771 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,825 to #85,054.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Biden
FAQ
Biden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Biden?
Name Census estimates that about 272 living Americans carry the surname Biden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,260,126 residents.
How common is Biden?
Biden ranks #85,054 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 237 people with the surname Biden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Biden.
Has Biden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Biden went from 159 recorded bearers to 237. That is an increase of 78 (+49.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #110,825 to #85,054.
What does the Census say about the background of Biden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Biden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Biden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (191 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Biden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Hispanic (7.2%), Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Biden (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 Biden mean?
A surname derived from the Old English personal name "Bida", meaning "one who requests" or "one who commands". 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 Biden (0.08 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 Biden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.