Find out how popular the last name Bien is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bien.

Bien, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bien surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bien in America

Bien is the 15060th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bien surname appeared 1,960 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bien.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bien to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bien

The surname "Bien" has its origins in France, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old French word "bien," which means "good" or "well." It was likely initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was perceived as a good or well-behaved person.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book includes an entry for a person named "Bien de Auvergne," indicating that the name was present in the region of Auvergne in central France during that time period.

In the 13th century, there are records of a knight named Raoul Bien, who fought in the Crusades and accompanied King Louis IX of France on the Seventh Crusade to Egypt in 1248-1254. Raoul Bien is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles and manuscripts as a brave and skilled warrior.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Biene," "Byan," and "Byene," reflecting regional spelling variations. One notable figure from this period was Jean Bien, a French scholar and theologian who was born in Paris around 1330 and taught at the University of Paris.

In the 15th century, the name was associated with several prominent families in different regions of France. One of these families was the Bien family of Normandy, which produced several notable members, including Jacques Bien (1420-1492), a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city of Rouen.

Another significant figure was Étienne Bien (1512-1582), a French Protestant reformer and theologian who played a crucial role in the spread of Calvinism in France during the 16th century. He was born in the town of Bien, which may have been named after an earlier bearer of the surname.

Over the centuries, the name "Bien" has been carried by numerous other individuals across various fields, such as literature, politics, and the arts. Some examples include the French writer and poet Charles Bien (1820-1892), the American painter Norbert Bien (1909-1998), and the German-born American chess player Hans Bien (1939-2010).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bien

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bien.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bien was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bien has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bien was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bien, please contact us.

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