2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Byan
A surname derived from the French word 'beau', meaning handsome or beautiful.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Byan. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Byan 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 Byan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Byan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Byan, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Byan
The surname BYAN is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have originated in the Yorkshire region of England, where it was likely derived from the Old English byge, meaning "to buy or purchase." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been involved in trade or commerce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BYAN surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dating back to 1179, where a William Byan is mentioned. This suggests that the surname had already become established in the region by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the BYAN name appears to have spread to other parts of England. The Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, compiled in 1273, include a reference to a Richard Byan, indicating that the surname had reached the southern parts of the country by that time.
The BYAN surname is also found in various historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries. For instance, the Patent Rolls of 1372 mention a John Byan, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1428 include a record of a Thomas Byan.
One notable figure with the BYAN surname was Sir John Byan, a 15th-century English knight and landowner. Born around 1420, he served as a member of Parliament for Lincolnshire and was knighted by King Henry VI in 1445.
Another individual of historical significance was William Byan, a 16th-century clergyman and author. Born in 1540, he served as the Rector of Wiston in Sussex and published several religious works, including a treatise on the Lord's Prayer in 1583.
In the 17th century, the BYAN surname continued to be present in various records. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 mention a Robert Byan residing in Yorkshire, while the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Nottinghamshire include entries for the baptisms and marriages of several individuals with the BYAN surname in the late 1600s.
The 18th century saw the BYAN name appearing in various parish records and census documents across England. One notable figure from this period was Thomas Byan, a prominent merchant and landowner born in 1725 in Oxfordshire.
In the 19th century, the BYAN surname remained prevalent in England, with several individuals bearing the name achieving notable accomplishments. Among them was John Byan, a renowned architect born in 1810 in London, who designed several churches and public buildings in the city.
Throughout its history, the BYAN surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Byan, Byen, Biene, and Bine. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the spelling preferences of clerks and scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Byan
Among Census respondents with the surname Byan, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Byan 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 Byan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.1% · 68
- Black or African American15.5% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.3% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Byan
Byan 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-50 bearers (-32.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 50,279 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-5 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,983 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -50 bearers (-32.9%) | Down 50,279 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.9%) | Up 1,983 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 Byan 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 | #158,432 | #156,449 | 1.3% |
| Count | 102 | 97 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Byan bearers went from 102 to 97 (-4.9% change). The surname moved up 1,983 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,449.
FAQ
Byan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Byan?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Byan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Byan?
Byan ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97 people with the surname Byan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Byan.
Has Byan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Byan went from 102 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Byan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Byan, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%). 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 Byan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.1% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Byan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.1%), Black (15.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%). 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 Byan (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 Byan mean?
A surname derived from the French word 'beau', meaning handsome or beautiful. 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 Byan (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Byan?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.