2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Billson
A patronymic surname derived from the personal name Bill, itself a diminutive of William.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 148 Americans carry the last name Billson. That puts it at #135,344 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,315,908 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Billson 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 Billson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
148
1 in 2,315,908
Census rank
#135,344
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
129
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 129 bearers of the surname Billson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 135344th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Billson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Billson
The surname Billson is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Bill, a diminutive of William, combined with the suffix "-son" denoting "son of." The name likely originated in northern England, where the use of patronymic surnames was widespread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Billson appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a certain Robert Billeson is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during the late 12th or early 13th century in the Yorkshire region.
The Billson surname is also found in some early records from Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, indicating its presence in other parts of central and northern England. For instance, a John Billson is recorded in the Court Rolls of Bottesford, Lincolnshire, in 1334.
In the 16th century, the name is mentioned in the Muster Rolls of the county of Nottinghamshire, where a Thomas Billson is listed among the able-bodied men in 1539. This suggests that the Billson family may have had a presence in the area at that time.
One notable individual bearing the Billson surname was Robert Billson (1589-1657), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Nottingham. He was born in Nottinghamshire and published several works, including a treatise on the book of Revelation.
Another individual of note was Thomas Billson (1725-1807), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. He was born in Whitehaven, Cumberland, and achieved the rank of Rear Admiral.
In the 19th century, Richard Billson (1803-1880) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in the Gothic Revival style, including St. Mary's Church in Nottingham.
Additionally, John Billson (1859-1926) was a British trade unionist and politician who served as a member of parliament for the Labour Party, representing the constituency of Wolverhampton West from 1918 to 1922.
Finally, Walter Billson (1909-1986), born in Leicestershire, was a British artist known for his landscape paintings and his work as an art educator. He served as the Principal of the Gloucestershire College of Art and Design from 1946 to 1974.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Billson
Among Census respondents with the surname Billson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Billson 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 Billson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 114
- Black or African American5.4% · 7
- Two or more races3.1% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Billson
Billson 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+12 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,303 places
2020
#135,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-5 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,850 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 1,303 places |
| 2020 | #135,344 | 129 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 7,850 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 Billson 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 | #127,494 | #135,344 | -6.2% |
| Count | 134 | 129 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Billson bearers went from 134 to 129 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 7,850 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #135,344.
FAQ
Billson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Billson?
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the surname Billson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,315,908 residents.
How common is Billson?
Billson ranks #135,344 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 129 people with the surname Billson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (148), 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 Billson.
Has Billson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Billson went from 134 recorded bearers to 129. That is a decrease of 5 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #135,344.
What does the Census say about the background of Billson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Billson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Billson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Billson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Billson (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 Billson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the personal name Bill, itself a diminutive of William. 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 Billson (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 have the last name Billson?
Find out how many people have the last name Billson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.