2000
#6,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Birdsong
An English occupational surname referring to a person who bred birds or a nickname for a person with a beautiful singing voice.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,973 Americans carry the last name Birdsong. That puts it at #6,286 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,384 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birdsong 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
6.0K
1 in 57,384
Census rank
#6,286
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,209 bearers of the surname Birdsong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6286th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdsong, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birdsong
The surname Birdsong is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is an example of a locational surname, derived from a place name where the first bearers of the name resided. The name likely originated in areas with a significant population of birds, possibly near wooded areas or regions with abundant birdlife.
The earliest recorded occurrence of the surname Birdsong dates back to the 13th century. It appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a certain William de Byrdesange was mentioned. This early spelling variation suggests that the name may have derived from the Old English words "brydes" meaning bird and "sang" meaning song or melody.
During the medieval period, the surname Birdsong was found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. It is believed that some of the early bearers of the name may have been associated with occupations related to birdcatching or falconry, which were popular pursuits among the nobility and gentry.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Birdsong was John Byrdsong, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1365. Another notable figure was Robert Birdsong, a landowner from Gloucestershire who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1523.
In the 16th century, the surname Birdsong appears in various records, including the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Warwickshire, where a certain William Birdsong was recorded as having been baptized in 1588.
During the 17th century, the name continued to be found in various parts of England. One prominent figure was Thomas Birdsong, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in the transatlantic trade and is mentioned in the port records of the city in the 1670s.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Birdsong, who was born in Oxfordshire in 1692 and later married into the influential Hastings family. Her son, John Hastings-Birdsong, became a respected clergyman and served as the rector of St. Michael's Church in Coventry from 1745 until his death in 1781.
In the 18th century, the surname Birdsong continued to be found across various regions of England, with records indicating families bearing the name in counties such as Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. One notable figure from this period was William Birdsong, a renowned botanist and gardener who was born in Gloucestershire in 1725 and is credited with introducing several new plant species to England from his travels abroad.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Birdsong spread to other parts of the English-speaking world, with bearers of the name eventually settling in various parts of the British Empire, including North America and other regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birdsong
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdsong, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Birdsong 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 Birdsong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 3,314
- Black or African American23.3% · 1,214
- Two or more races7.7% · 402
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birdsong
Birdsong 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
#6,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,498
+277 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 158 places
2020
#6,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,209
-289 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,062 | 5,221 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,220 | 5,498 | 1.86 | +277 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 158 places |
| 2020 | #6,286 | 5,209 | 1.74 | -289 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 66 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 Birdsong 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 | #6,220 | #6,286 | -1.1% |
| Count | 5,498 | 5,209 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.86 | 1.74 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birdsong bearers went from 5,498 to 5,209 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,220 to #6,286.
FAQ
Birdsong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birdsong?
Name Census estimates that about 5,973 living Americans carry the surname Birdsong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,384 residents.
How common is Birdsong?
Birdsong ranks #6,286 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,209 people with the surname Birdsong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,973), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Birdsong.
Has Birdsong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birdsong went from 5,498 recorded bearers to 5,209. That is a decrease of 289 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,220 to #6,286.
What does the Census say about the background of Birdsong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birdsong, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (7.7%). 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 Birdsong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (3,314 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birdsong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (23.3%), Two or More Races (7.7%). 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 Birdsong (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 Birdsong mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who bred birds or a nickname for a person with a beautiful singing voice. 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 Birdsong (1.74 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 surname Birdsong?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.