2000
#14,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,873
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Bien
A surname of French origin meaning "good" or "well," likely referring to a person of good character or reputation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,182 Americans carry the last name Bien. That puts it at #14,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bien 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 Bien with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,083
Census rank
#14,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,903 bearers of the surname Bien in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bien, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bien
Among Census respondents with the surname Bien, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bien 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 Bien surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.7% · 1,326
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.6% · 392
- Two or more races4.1% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 69
- Black or African American1.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bien
Bien 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
#15,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,960
+87 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 486 places
2020
#14,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,903
-57 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,574 | 1,873 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,060 | 1,960 | 0.66 | +87 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 486 places |
| 2020 | #14,921 | 1,903 | 0.64 | -57 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 139 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 Bien 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 | #15,060 | #14,921 | 0.9% |
| Count | 1,960 | 1,903 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.64 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bien bearers went from 1,960 to 1,903 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 139 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,060 to #14,921.
FAQ
Bien surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bien?
Name Census estimates that about 2,182 living Americans carry the surname Bien. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,083 residents.
How common is Bien?
Bien ranks #14,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,903 people with the surname Bien. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Bien.
Has Bien become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bien went from 1,960 recorded bearers to 1,903. That is a decrease of 57 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,060 to #14,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Bien?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bien, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Bien in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.7% (1,326 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bien appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (20.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Bien (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 Bien mean?
A surname of French origin meaning "good" or "well," likely referring to a person of good character or reputation. 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 Bien (0.64 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 Americans have the surname Bien?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.