2000
#7,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Binns
Derived from the Welsh "ap Enion," meaning "son of Enion," a diminutive form of the Welsh name Einion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,761 Americans carry the last name Binns. That puts it at #7,687 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,992 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Binns 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 Binns with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,992
Census rank
#7,687
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,152 bearers of the surname Binns in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7687th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Binns, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (35.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Binns
The surname Binns originated in England and is derived from the Old English word "binne," meaning a bin or basket used for storing crops or grains. The name likely referred to someone who worked as a basket maker or seller of bins.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Binns can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Binnere" in Essex. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was primarily concentrated in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, with various spellings such as Bynnes, Bynns, and Byns appearing in local records.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Robert Binns, a 14th-century landowner and knight who held estates in Yorkshire. He was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for the county in 1329.
In the 16th century, the surname Binns began to spread more widely across England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Staffordshire. The Binns family of Binns Hall, near Accrington, Lancashire, was a prominent family during this period.
A famous individual with the surname Binns was William Binns (1579-1654), an English lawyer and judge who served as Recorder of Leeds and was later appointed to the Court of Common Pleas by Oliver Cromwell.
Another notable figure was Thomas Binns (1636-1693), an English Puritan clergyman and author of several religious works, including "The Sinner's Redemption" and "The Christian's Guide to Eternal Life."
In the 18th century, John Binns (1713-1788) was a successful merchant and landowner in Yorkshire, known for his philanthropic contributions to the town of Bradford.
William Binns (1768-1842) was a prominent English Quaker and abolitionist who campaigned tirelessly against slavery and advocated for the rights of slaves in the British colonies.
The surname Binns has also been found in various place names across England, such as Binns Leys in Derbyshire and Binns Farm in Nottinghamshire, further reinforcing its historical roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Binns
Among Census respondents with the surname Binns, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (35.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Binns 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 Binns surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.0% · 2,284
- Black or African American35.2% · 1,462
- Two or more races5.6% · 231
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Binns
Binns 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
#7,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,178
+142 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 324 places
2020
#7,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,152
-26 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,599 | 4,036 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,923 | 4,178 | 1.42 | +142 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 324 places |
| 2020 | #7,687 | 4,152 | 1.39 | -26 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 236 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 Binns 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 | #7,923 | #7,687 | 3.0% |
| Count | 4,178 | 4,152 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.39 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Binns bearers went from 4,178 to 4,152 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 236 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,923 to #7,687.
FAQ
Binns surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Binns?
Name Census estimates that about 4,761 living Americans carry the surname Binns. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,992 residents.
How common is Binns?
Binns ranks #7,687 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,152 people with the surname Binns. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,761), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Binns.
Has Binns become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Binns went from 4,178 recorded bearers to 4,152. That is a decrease of 26 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,923 to #7,687.
What does the Census say about the background of Binns?
Among Census respondents with the surname Binns, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (35.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Binns in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.0% (2,284 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Binns appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.0%), Black (35.2%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Binns (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 Binns mean?
Derived from the Welsh "ap Enion," meaning "son of Enion," a diminutive form of the Welsh name Einion. 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 Binns (1.39 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 Binns?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.