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

Body, 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 Body surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Body in America

Body is the 15099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Body surname appeared 1,954 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Body.

We can also compare 2010 data for Body 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 Body

The surname BODY is thought to have originated in England. It is likely derived from the Old English word 'bodig', meaning a person's trunk or torso. The name may have been used as a nickname for a stout or heavily-built individual during medieval times.

Records indicate the name BODY first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record land ownership across England and parts of Wales. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was 'Bodie'.

One of the earliest known bearers of the BODY surname was William Bodie, who lived in Gloucestershire, England, in the late 12th century. Rogerus Body, born around 1210 in Oxfordshire, is another early example.

In the 14th century, the BODY surname began appearing in various spellings, such as 'Bodye', 'Bodie', and 'Boddy'. This was likely due to regional variations in pronunciation and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

A notable figure with the BODY surname was Sir Thomas Body (1498-1563), an English Member of Parliament and lawyer who served as Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Mary I.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the BODY surname spread across England, with concentrations in counties like Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. This was likely due to the movement of people during the Tudor and Stuart periods.

Another prominent individual with the BODY surname was John Body (1615-1692), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Pious and Learned Reader's Delight" and "The Scripture Weighing All Teachers and Teachings".

In the 18th century, the BODY surname appeared in various place names, such as Body Farm in Berkshire and Body's Green in Gloucestershire, further suggesting the name's longstanding presence in certain regions of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BODY surname in North America was Richard Body, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Another early bearer of the name in the American colonies was Samuel Body, who was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1667.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Body

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

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 Body 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 Body 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 Body was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!