2000
#85,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Birdseye
An occupational surname referring to a bird watcher or hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 261 Americans carry the last name Birdseye. That puts it at #87,624 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,313,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birdseye 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 Birdseye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
261
1 in 1,313,235
Census rank
#87,624
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
228
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 228 bearers of the surname Birdseye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87624th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdseye, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birdseye
The surname Birdseye originated in England during the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from a place called Birdseye, which is located in the county of Suffolk. The name itself is a combination of the Old English words "bridd" meaning bird and "ege" meaning island or dry ground in a fen.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Birdseye can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1327, where a Richard Birdseye is mentioned. The name also appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1433, which refers to a Thomas Byrdeseye.
During the 16th century, the name was sometimes spelled as Byrdeseye or Birdsey. In the Visitation of Essex in 1612, a coat of arms was granted to the Birdseye family, indicating their status and recognition as a notable family in the region.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Birdseye was John Birdseye, born around 1540 in Stratford, Essex. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace in the county.
Another notable figure was Edward Birdseye, born in 1615 in Stratford, Essex. He was a clergyman and served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in the nearby village of Little Baddow.
In the 17th century, Thomas Birdseye, born in 1636 in Wethersfield, Essex, immigrated to the American colonies and settled in Stratford, Connecticut. He and his descendants played an important role in the early history of the region.
During the 18th century, a prominent member of the Birdseye family was John Birdseye, born in 1707 in Stratford, Connecticut. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and served as a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Clarence Birdseye, born in 1886 in Brooklyn, New York, was an American inventor and entrepreneur. He is credited with developing and popularizing the process of freezing food for preservation, which revolutionized the food industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birdseye
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdseye, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Birdseye 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 Birdseye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 213
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birdseye
Birdseye 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
#84,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
+19 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 1,161 places
2020
#87,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 228
+5 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 3,488 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #85,297 | 204 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,136 | 223 | 0.08 | +19 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 1,161 places |
| 2020 | #87,624 | 228 | 0.08 | +5 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 3,488 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 Birdseye 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 | #84,136 | #87,624 | -4.1% |
| Count | 223 | 228 | 2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birdseye bearers went from 223 to 228 (+2.2% change). The surname moved down 3,488 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,136 to #87,624.
FAQ
Birdseye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birdseye?
Name Census estimates that about 261 living Americans carry the surname Birdseye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,313,235 residents.
How common is Birdseye?
Birdseye ranks #87,624 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 228 people with the surname Birdseye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Birdseye.
Has Birdseye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birdseye went from 223 recorded bearers to 228. That is an increase of 5 (+2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #84,136 to #87,624.
What does the Census say about the background of Birdseye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdseye, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Birdseye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birdseye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Birdseye (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 Birdseye mean?
An occupational surname referring to a bird watcher or hunter. 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 Birdseye (0.08 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 are called Birdseye?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Birdseye on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.