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

Bilyeu, 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 Bilyeu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bilyeu in America

Bilyeu is the 10414th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bilyeu surname appeared 3,091 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 Bilyeu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bilyeu 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 Bilyeu

The surname Bilyeu originated in France in the early 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "billeu," which referred to a type of leather worker or craftsman. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Billiou" in the region of Normandy.

During the Middle Ages, the Bilyeu family was known to reside in the northern French provinces of Normandy and Brittany. Their name can be found in various medieval records and documents from these regions, including land grants and tax rolls.

One of the earliest known references to the Bilyeu name comes from a 13th-century manuscript, the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Fécamp," which mentions a "Hugues Billiou" as a landowner in the village of Fécamp, Normandy.

By the 14th century, the Bilyeu name had spread across northern France and into neighboring regions. In 1347, a "Jehan Bilyeu" was listed as a resident of the city of Amiens in the Somme region.

As the centuries passed, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as "Billiou," "Biliou," and "Billyeu." These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.

One notable figure with the Bilyeu surname was Jacques Bilyeu (1580-1648), a French magistrate and jurist from Rouen, Normandy. He served as a judge in the Parlement of Normandy and was known for his expertise in legal matters.

Another prominent individual was Antoine Bilyeu (1623-1687), a French military officer who fought in the Thirty Years' War and later served as a commander in the King's Guard under Louis XIV.

In the 18th century, a branch of the Bilyeu family settled in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti). One member, Pierre Bilyeu (1742-1803), became a successful plantation owner and played a role in the colony's administration.

The Bilyeu name also found its way to the New World, with several immigrants bearing the surname arriving in North America in the 17th and 18th centuries. One such individual was Jean-Baptiste Bilyeu (1702-1778), who settled in Quebec, Canada, and worked as a fur trader.

Another notable figure was Marie-Thérèse Bilyeu (1755-1823), a French-born woman who immigrated to Louisiana and became a prominent landowner and philanthropist in the city of New Orleans.

While the Bilyeu surname has its origins in France, it has since spread across the globe and can be found in many countries today, including the United States, Canada, and various parts of Europe and Latin America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bilyeu

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

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

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

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