2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bigbear
A surname implying someone of large or imposing physical stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Bigbear. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bigbear 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Bigbear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigbear, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bigbear
The surname BIGBEAR has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English phrase describing a large, powerful bear, likely used as a nickname for someone of imposing stature or strength. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Bigbear," found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BIGBEAR name can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1201, which mentions a John Bigbear residing in Oxfordshire. Another early reference appears in the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire in 1216, where a William Bigbear is listed as a landowner.
During the 13th century, the BIGBEAR name was primarily concentrated in the Midlands region of England, with several families recorded in counties such as Warwickshire and Leicestershire. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Bigbear, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I in the Welsh Wars of the late 13th century.
By the 14th century, the BIGBEAR name had spread to other parts of England, including Yorkshire and East Anglia. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 list a Thomas Bigbear as a taxpayer in the village of Burley, near Leeds. Another prominent figure from this period was John Bigbear, a wealthy merchant from Norwich who served as a city alderman in the 1370s.
In the 15th century, the BIGBEAR name continued to be found across various regions of England. The Subsidy Rolls of 1428 record a Richard Bigbear in Gloucestershire, while the Feet of Fines for Norfolk in 1453 mention a Robert Bigbear of Wymondham.
One of the most famous bearers of the BIGBEAR surname was William Bigbear, a wealthy landowner and justice of the peace from Warwickshire, who lived from 1520 to 1598. Another notable individual was Thomas Bigbear, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in Lewes, Sussex, in 1557 during the Marian Persecutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bigbear
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigbear, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bigbear 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 Bigbear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native75.2% · 85
- Two or more races8.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- White6.2% · 7
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bigbear
Bigbear 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,531 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,531 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,126 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 Bigbear 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 | #148,347 | #147,221 | 0.8% |
| Count | 111 | 113 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bigbear bearers went from 111 to 113 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,126 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #147,221.
FAQ
Bigbear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bigbear?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Bigbear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Bigbear?
Bigbear ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Bigbear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bigbear.
Has Bigbear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bigbear went from 111 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Bigbear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bigbear, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bigbear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bigbear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (75.2%), Two or More Races (8.0%), Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Bigbear (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 Bigbear mean?
A surname implying someone of large or imposing physical stature. 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 Bigbear (0.04 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 share the surname Bigbear?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.