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

Bilbrey, 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 Bilbrey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bilbrey in America

Bilbrey is the 8536th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bilbrey surname appeared 3,855 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 Bilbrey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bilbrey 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 Bilbrey

The surname Bilbrey has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words 'bild' or 'bilde', meaning 'hill' or 'ridge', and 'burh', meaning 'fortified place' or 'borough'. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a fortified hill or ridge settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as 'de Bildeburgh'. This early spelling suggests a connection to a specific place name, potentially an area near present-day Bilborough, Nottinghamshire.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several places with similar names, such as 'Bildewurde' (Bedfordshire) and 'Bildeworde' (Hertfordshire), which may have contributed to the development of the surname.

The Bilbrey surname has been documented in various historical records throughout the centuries. Notable individuals include John Bilbrey (1527-1592), a prominent merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, and William Bilbrey (1678-1745), a respected theologian and author from Oxford.

During the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to Wales, with records showing a Thomas Bilbrey (1543-1612) residing in Denbighshire. In the 18th century, the Bilbrey family had a strong presence in Staffordshire, with several members recorded in parish registers, such as James Bilbrey (1712-1782) and Elizabeth Bilbrey (1724-1796).

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname in the United States was Joseph Bilbrey (1765-1837), who immigrated from England and settled in Virginia. His descendants later moved westward, contributing to the spread of the name across the country.

Other notable individuals with the Bilbrey surname include Richard Bilbrey (1879-1958), a prominent lawyer and politician from Tennessee, and Mary Bilbrey (1901-1987), an educator and author from Kentucky.

Throughout its history, the Bilbrey surname has maintained a strong connection to its English roots, with various spellings such as Bilbury, Bilborough, and Bilbro appearing in different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bilbrey

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!