2000
#3,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,722
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.60
Uncommon Last name
Bills
An English surname derived from the medieval personal name Bill, a diminutive of William, meaning "resolute protector."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,940 Americans carry the last name Bills. That puts it at #3,629 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,330 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bills 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 Bills with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,330
Census rank
#3,629
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,540 bearers of the surname Bills in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3629th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bills, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bills
The surname Bills has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English word "bil" which referred to a hill or ridge. This suggests that the name may have originated from someone who lived near a prominent hill or ridge.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with one of the earliest known bearers being Roger atte Bille, listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk in 1273. The "atte" prefix indicates a locational name, further supporting the connection to a place name.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings such as Bille, Bylle, and Byll, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling during that time. One notable bearer from this period was John Bille, who was mentioned in the Patent Rolls of 1349 for his involvement in the wool trade.
By the 15th century, the surname had evolved into its modern spelling of Bills. One of the earliest recorded instances of this spelling was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524, where a Thomas Bills was listed.
Over the centuries, the Bills surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Sir John Bills, a 16th-century English merchant and diplomat who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1591-1592.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Thomas Bills, a 17th-century English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Eton College from 1655 to 1677.
In the 18th century, John Bills was a notable English architect who designed several churches and public buildings, including St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire.
The 19th century saw the birth of Ebenezer Bills, an American pioneer and early settler in Oregon. He played a significant role in the development of the Oregon Trail and helped establish the city of Milwaukie.
Finally, in the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the Bills surname was Kurt Bills, an American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bills
Among Census respondents with the surname Bills, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bills 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 Bills surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.4% · 7,381
- Black or African American12.9% · 1,230
- Two or more races4.5% · 427
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 376
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bills
Bills 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
#3,552
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,051
+329 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 189 places
2020
#3,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,540
-511 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.19
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,363 | 9,722 | 3.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,552 | 10,051 | 3.41 | +329 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 189 places |
| 2020 | #3,629 | 9,540 | 3.19 | -511 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 77 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 Bills 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 | #3,552 | #3,629 | -2.2% |
| Count | 10,051 | 9,540 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.41 | 3.19 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bills bearers went from 10,051 to 9,540 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,552 to #3,629.
FAQ
Bills surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bills?
Name Census estimates that about 10,940 living Americans carry the surname Bills. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,330 residents.
How common is Bills?
Bills ranks #3,629 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,540 people with the surname Bills. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bills.
Has Bills become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bills went from 10,051 recorded bearers to 9,540. That is a decrease of 511 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,552 to #3,629.
What does the Census say about the background of Bills?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bills, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bills in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.4% (7,381 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bills appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.4%), Black (12.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bills (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 Bills mean?
An English surname derived from the medieval personal name Bill, a diminutive of William, meaning "resolute protector." 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 Bills (3.19 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 Bills?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.