2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bindus
A surname potentially derived from the German word "Bund" meaning league or alliance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Bindus. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bindus 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.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Bindus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bindus, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bindus
The surname Bindus is believed to have originated from the German region, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "binden," which means "to bind" or "to tie." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a binder or bookbinder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bindus can be found in the medieval German manuscript "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus" from the year 1250, where a certain "Henricus Bindus" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction. The name also appears in various other historical documents from that period, such as church records and tax rolls, indicating its presence in various German states and principalities.
During the 16th century, the name Bindus began to spread beyond the German borders, with some notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Johann Bindus (1535-1592), a German theologian and author who wrote several influential works on Protestant theology. Another notable figure was Hans Bindus (1567-1624), a German painter known for his religious and portrait works.
As the centuries progressed, the Bindus surname continued to be found across Europe, with variations in spelling such as Binduss, Bindas, and Bindas. In the 18th century, a prominent figure with this name was Friedrich Bindus (1720-1787), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
In the 19th century, the name Bindus gained further recognition with individuals like Carl Bindus (1815-1879), a German-American inventor and engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early typewriters and telegraphs. Additionally, there was August Bindus (1837-1901), a German painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
Throughout history, the Bindus surname has also been associated with various places and locations. For example, there is a small village called Bindus in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which may have been named after an early settler or landowner with this surname. Similarly, there are several streets and landmarks bearing the name Bindus in various German cities, reflecting the historical presence of this family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bindus
Among Census respondents with the surname Bindus, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bindus 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 Bindus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bindus
Bindus 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+4 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,093 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-22 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,470 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 5,093 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 19,470 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 Bindus 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 | #134,712 | #154,182 | -14.5% |
| Count | 125 | 103 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bindus bearers went from 125 to 103 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 19,470 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Bindus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bindus?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Bindus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Bindus?
Bindus ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Bindus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bindus.
Has Bindus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bindus went from 125 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Bindus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bindus, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bindus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bindus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bindus (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 Bindus mean?
A surname potentially derived from the German word "Bund" meaning league or alliance. 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 Bindus (0.03 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 common is the surname Bindus?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Bindus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.