2000
#13,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Bizzell
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived by a spring or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,413 Americans carry the last name Bizzell. That puts it at #13,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bizzell 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 Bizzell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,045
Census rank
#13,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,104 bearers of the surname Bizzell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bizzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bizzell
The surname Bizzell has its origins in England, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the Old English word "byzzer," which referred to a person who lived near a bramble bush or thicket.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bizzell can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Robert le Bissel." This spelling variation suggests a connection to the Old French word "bissel," meaning "little bush" or "shrub."
Throughout the medieval period, the name was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. In the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327, there are references to individuals named "John Bysell" and "William Bysell" residing in these regions.
The Bizzell surname is also linked to several place names across England, such as Byssell's Green in Oxfordshire and Byssell's Farm in Gloucestershire. These locations likely derived their names from early settlers bearing the Bizzell surname.
Notable individuals with the Bizzell surname include Sir John Bizzell (1570-1645), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire during the reign of King Charles I. Another noteworthy figure is William Bizzell (1701-1778), a renowned clockmaker from Bristol whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the aristocracy.
In the 17th century, the Bizzell name gained prominence through the exploits of Captain Edward Bizzell (1625-1692), a British naval officer who played a crucial role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars. His bravery and leadership earned him recognition from the Crown.
The Bizzell surname also found its way across the Atlantic Ocean, with several bearers of the name settling in the American colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries. One such individual was Thomas Bizzell (1689-1761), a prominent landowner and farmer in Virginia who established a prosperous estate that remained in the family for generations.
Throughout its history, the Bizzell surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Bysell, Byssell, Bizzle, and Bissell. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences that shaped the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bizzell
Among Census respondents with the surname Bizzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bizzell 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 Bizzell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.2% · 971
- Black or African American43.7% · 920
- Two or more races5.2% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bizzell
Bizzell 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
#13,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,198
+97 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 456 places
2020
#13,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,104
-94 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,308 | 2,101 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,764 | 2,198 | 0.75 | +97 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 456 places |
| 2020 | #13,768 | 2,104 | 0.70 | -94 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 4 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 Bizzell 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 | #13,764 | #13,768 | -0.0% |
| Count | 2,198 | 2,104 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.70 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bizzell bearers went from 2,198 to 2,104 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,764 to #13,768.
FAQ
Bizzell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bizzell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,413 living Americans carry the surname Bizzell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,045 residents.
How common is Bizzell?
Bizzell ranks #13,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,104 people with the surname Bizzell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Bizzell.
Has Bizzell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bizzell went from 2,198 recorded bearers to 2,104. That is a decrease of 94 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,764 to #13,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Bizzell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bizzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Bizzell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.2% (971 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bizzell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.2%), Black (43.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Bizzell (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 Bizzell mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived by a spring or stream. 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 Bizzell (0.70 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 Bizzell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.