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

Billings, 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 Billings surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Billings in America

Billings is the 1588th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Billings surname appeared 22,553 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Billings.

We can also compare 2010 data for Billings 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 Billings

The surname Billings is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the village of Billingshurst in West Sussex. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "billing" meaning a sword or metal, and "hyrst" meaning a wooded hill or hillock.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166, where it appears as Bilingehirst. Other early spellings include Billynghurst and Byllingshurst, reflecting the local pronunciation and dialectal variations of the time.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village of Billingshurst is referred to as "Billinglesh", providing evidence of the name's antiquity. The Billings family is believed to have been landowners or prominent residents of the area, leading to the adoption of the place name as a surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Billings was Richard Billings, who is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327. Another early example is John Billings, who was a tax collector in Somerset during the reign of King Edward III (1312-1377).

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1524, where a William Byllings is listed. Another notable individual was Roger Billings, a wealthy merchant from London, who was born in 1540 and made a significant contribution to the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral in the late 16th century.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Billings was William Billings (1746-1800), a renowned American composer and music teacher from Boston. He is considered a pioneer of American choral music and is known for his compositions such as "Chester" and "Modern Music."

Other notable figures with the surname Billings include:

1. John Shaw Billings (1838-1913), an American librarian and surgeon who played a crucial role in the development of modern medical libraries and indexing systems.

2. Elizabeth Billings (1896-1964), an American physicist and pioneer in the field of radiobiology, known for her research on the effects of radiation on living cells.

3. Josh Billings (1818-1885), the pen name of Henry Wheeler Shaw, an American humorist and lecturer known for his satirical writings and witticisms.

4. Richard Billings (1632-1693), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

The surname Billings continues to be present in various parts of the world, particularly in England, the United States, and other countries with historical connections to the British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Billings

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

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

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

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