Find out how popular the last name Bishop is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bishop.

Bishop, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bishop surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bishop in America

Bishop is the 262nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bishop surname appeared 116,618 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 40 people would have the surname Bishop.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bishop to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bishop

The surname Bishop is of English origin, derived from the occupational term for a Christian prelate or overseer of a diocese. The name likely emerged in the 11th or 12th century during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "biscop," which came from the Greek word "episkopos," meaning overseer.

The earliest recorded instances of the Bishop surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, individuals with the surname Bishop or similar spellings such as Bisshop or Bysshop were mentioned.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Bishop, a 13th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1262 to 1292. Another prominent figure was William Bishop, a 16th-century English composer and musician who lived from approximately 1554 to 1624.

In the 17th century, the surname Bishop was closely associated with the town of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, England. The town's name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "biscopes" (bishop's) and "stortford" (a place name derived from "storth" meaning a wood or thicket and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing).

One of the most famous individuals with the Bishop surname was George Bishop, an English-born American politician and soldier who lived from 1785 to 1861. He served as a brigadier general in the War of 1812 and later became the first Governor of the Northwestern Territory (now Ohio) in 1851.

Another notable figure was Sir Henry Rowley Bishop, an English composer and conductor who lived from 1786 to 1855. He is best known for composing the popular opera "Clari, or the Maid of Milan" and for his contribution to the development of English opera.

During the 19th century, the surname Bishop was also prominent in the literary world. Thomas Bishop, an English poet and writer, lived from 1804 to 1869 and published several notable works, including "Memoirs of an Unfortunate Son of Thespis" and "Poetical Works."

As the name Bishop originated from an occupational term, it is likely that many early bearers of the surname were members of the clergy or had close connections to the Church. Over time, the name spread beyond its original ecclesiastical associations and became a common English surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bishop

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bishop.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bishop was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bishop has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bishop was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bishop, please contact us.

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