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

Byas, 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 Byas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Byas in America

Byas is the 18540th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Byas surname appeared 1,488 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 Byas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Byas 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 Byas

The surname Byas is of English origin and can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the village of Byers Green in County Durham, which was recorded as "Byres" in the Pipe Rolls of 1230. The name is thought to originate from the Old English word "byre," meaning a cow shed or cattle shelter.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Byas appears in the Yorkshire Feet of Fines, a legal document from 1327, which mentions a William de Byers. The Feet of Fines were records of agreements made in the king's court, often related to land transactions or property disputes.

In the late 14th century, the surname Byas is found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire, which were tax records. An entry from 1379 lists a John Byas as a taxpayer in the village of Thorner, near Leeds.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Byas. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as "Bires" in Lincolnshire and "Byres" in Gloucestershire, which may have been the origin of the name.

Notable individuals with the surname Byas include John Byas (c. 1510-1590), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I for denying the Queen's supremacy over the Church. Another early bearer of the name was William Byas (c. 1540-1615), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of York.

In the 17th century, the Byas family established themselves as landowners and gentry in various parts of Yorkshire, including the villages of Byers Green and Evenwood. Sir John Byas (1628-1701) was a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Richmond, Yorkshire, during the reign of Charles II.

Other notable figures include Sir Edward Byas (1765-1845), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and Robert Byas (1794-1871), an English artist and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural scenes of Yorkshire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Byas

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

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

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

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