Bies last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bies

A surname derived from a place name or region.

Bies, 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 Bies surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bies in America

Bies is the 25332nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bies surname appeared 977 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bies.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bies 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 25332 24701 2.52%
Count 977 947 3.12%
Proportion per 100k 0.33 0.35 -5.88%

The history of the last name Bies

The surname BIES originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "biez," meaning "piece" or "bit," potentially referring to a small parcel of land owned by the family.

One of the earliest known references to the name BIES can be found in the Annals of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, a historical record from the 13th century. It mentions a man named Heinrich BIES, who was a landowner in the region.

In the 15th century, the BIES family gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where they were involved in the textile trade. Johannes BIES (1430-1491) was a successful merchant and philanthropist who donated funds for the construction of a hospital in the city.

During the 16th century, the name BIES spread across different regions of Germany, with notable individuals such as Martin BIES (1522-1592), a Protestant theologian and author of several religious texts.

In the 17th century, the BIES family established a presence in the German principality of Saxony. Hans BIES (1612-1678) was a respected judge and legal scholar who served as a magistrate in the city of Leipzig.

The 18th century saw the emergence of the BIES name in the field of music. Johann Friedrich BIES (1721-1786) was a renowned composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst.

As the BIES family continued to spread across Europe, they made significant contributions in various fields. In the 19th century, Karl BIES (1801-1879) was a German philosopher and academic who taught at the University of Heidelberg.

One of the most notable figures with the BIES surname was Otto BIES (1862-1934), a German engineer and inventor who pioneered the development of the first practical magnetic recording device, laying the foundation for modern audio recording technology.

Throughout its history, the surname BIES has been associated with individuals who have made their mark in various disciplines, from law and academia to music and engineering. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since become a part of the cultural fabric of many countries around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bies

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

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 Bies was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.09% 929
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.54% 15
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.82% 8
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 1.54% 15

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 Bies has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.09% 95.25% -0.17%
Black 1.54% 1.69% -9.29%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.82% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 1.16% (S)%
Hispanic 1.54% 1.06% 36.92%

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 Bies was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Bies last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 24, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bies-surname-popularity/.

"Bies last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bies-surname-popularity/. Accessed 24 May, 2025

Bies last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bies-surname-popularity/.

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