2000
#9,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,220
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Birdsall
A locational surname derived from a place in West Yorkshire, England, meaning "bird's nook" or "bird's corner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,293 Americans carry the last name Birdsall. That puts it at #10,634 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birdsall 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 Birdsall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,086
Census rank
#10,634
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,872 bearers of the surname Birdsall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10634th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdsall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birdsall
The surname Birdsall originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Birdsall, a small village in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The name Birdsall itself is likely a combination of the Old English words "bridd" meaning bird and "salu" meaning hall or residence.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Birdsall can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a collection of financial records from the county, where a Robert de Birdsall is listed in 1176. The Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, also contains references to the village of Birdsall.
In the 13th century, the surname Birdsall appeared in various forms such as Birdeshale and Birdeshal, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that time period. One notable figure bearing this name was William de Birdsall, a landowner in Yorkshire who lived during the reign of King Edward I (1272-1307).
During the 14th century, the Birdsall family played a prominent role in the local community of Yorkshire. John de Birdsall served as a member of the Parliament of England in 1327, representing the county of Yorkshire. Another member of the family, Thomas de Birdsall, was a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the latter half of the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Birdsall surname gained further recognition with the rise of Sir Ralph Birdsall, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the latter half of the century. He was a staunch supporter of the House of York and played a significant role in the battles of Towton and Tewkesbury.
The 16th century saw the emergence of Christopher Birdsall, a renowned scholar and theologian who was born in Yorkshire in 1536. He studied at the University of Cambridge and later became a fellow of Trinity College. Birdsall was known for his contributions to the field of theology and his writings on religious reformation.
Throughout the centuries, the Birdsall surname has been carried by numerous individuals across various professions and walks of life. Some notable examples include John Birdsall (1609-1672), an early settler in Connecticut, and William Birdsall (1793-1864), a prominent architect who designed several churches and public buildings in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birdsall
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdsall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Birdsall 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 Birdsall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 2,588
- Two or more races3.7% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 94
- Black or African American1.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birdsall
Birdsall 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
#10,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,095
-125 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 1,103 places
2020
#10,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,872
-223 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,305 | 3,220 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,408 | 3,095 | 1.05 | -125 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1,103 places |
| 2020 | #10,634 | 2,872 | 0.96 | -223 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 226 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 Birdsall 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 | #10,408 | #10,634 | -2.2% |
| Count | 3,095 | 2,872 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.96 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birdsall bearers went from 3,095 to 2,872 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 226 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,408 to #10,634.
FAQ
Birdsall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birdsall?
Name Census estimates that about 3,293 living Americans carry the surname Birdsall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,086 residents.
How common is Birdsall?
Birdsall ranks #10,634 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,872 people with the surname Birdsall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,293), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Birdsall.
Has Birdsall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birdsall went from 3,095 recorded bearers to 2,872. That is a decrease of 223 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,408 to #10,634.
What does the Census say about the background of Birdsall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdsall, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Birdsall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birdsall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Birdsall (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 Birdsall mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in West Yorkshire, England, meaning "bird's nook" or "bird's corner." 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 Birdsall (0.96 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 Birdsall?
Find out how many people have the last name Birdsall on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.