2000
#6,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,972
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Bissell
An English occupational surname referring to a fine linen weaver or a maker of a type of hoe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,455 Americans carry the last name Bissell. That puts it at #6,812 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,833 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bissell 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 Bissell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,833
Census rank
#6,812
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,757 bearers of the surname Bissell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6812th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bissell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bissell
The surname Bissell has its origins in England, specifically in the region of Nottinghamshire. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old English words "byse" and "hyll," which together translate to "dweller by the bushy hill."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1198, which mention a Thomas de Bysehyll. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also reference a Roger de Bishull in the same county. These early spellings, such as Bishull and Bysehyll, reflect the name's evolution over time.
The Bissell surname is believed to have originated as a locational name, referring to individuals who lived near a particular bushy hill or elevated area. In some cases, it may have also been an occupational name for those who lived or worked in areas known for their bushes or shrubs.
One notable figure bearing the Bissell name was Roger Bissell, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Maidstone, Kent. Another early Bissell of note was John Bissell, born around 1595 in Somerset, who later emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 1600s, becoming one of the founders of the town of Windsor, Connecticut.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records, such as the marriage of Josiah Bissell and Sarah Holden in 1664 in Westfield, Massachusetts. William Bissell, born in 1670 in Scituate, Massachusetts, was a notable figure who served as a justice of the peace and a representative in the colonial legislature.
During the 18th century, the Bissell surname continued to spread across the American colonies. One prominent individual was Ezekiel Bissell, born in 1759 in Connecticut, who served as a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
While the Bissell name has its roots in England, it has since become widely distributed across various parts of the world, particularly in the United States and other English-speaking countries. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references trace back to the medieval English origins of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bissell
Among Census respondents with the surname Bissell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bissell 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 Bissell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 4,328
- Two or more races3.8% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 158
- Black or African American0.8% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bissell
Bissell 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
#6,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,039
+67 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 393 places
2020
#6,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,757
-282 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,308 | 4,972 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,701 | 5,039 | 1.71 | +67 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 393 places |
| 2020 | #6,812 | 4,757 | 1.59 | -282 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 111 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 Bissell 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 | #6,701 | #6,812 | -1.7% |
| Count | 5,039 | 4,757 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.59 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bissell bearers went from 5,039 to 4,757 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,701 to #6,812.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bissell
FAQ
Bissell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bissell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,455 living Americans carry the surname Bissell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,833 residents.
How common is Bissell?
Bissell ranks #6,812 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.59 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 4,757 people with the surname Bissell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.59 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 Bissell.
Has Bissell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bissell went from 5,039 recorded bearers to 4,757. That is a decrease of 282 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,701 to #6,812.
What does the Census say about the background of Bissell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bissell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) 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 Bissell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (4,328 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bissell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%), 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 Bissell (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 Bissell mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a fine linen weaver or a maker of a type of hoe. 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 Bissell (1.59 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 share the surname Bissell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.