Bybee last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bybee

A habitational surname derived from places named Bybee in England, likely referring to a farmstead or settlement.

Bybee, 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 Bybee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bybee in America

Bybee is the 7234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bybee surname appeared 4,614 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bybee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bybee 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 7234 7145 1.24%
Count 4,614 4,313 6.74%
Proportion per 100k 1.56 1.60 -2.53%

The history of the last name Bybee

The surname Bybee has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "by" meaning a village or settlement, and "bece" meaning a stream or brook. As such, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where it appears as "John de la Bibyee". This spelling variation reflects the Norman influence on English names during this period.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in various records with slightly different spellings, such as "Byby" and "Bybye". These variations were common due to the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.

During the 16th century, the name Bybee began to take on a more standardized spelling. One notable figure from this era was William Bybee, a merchant from London who is mentioned in records from the 1580s.

The surname Bybee has also been associated with certain place names in England, such as Bybee Farm in the county of Kent. This farm dates back to the 16th century and may have been named after an early inhabitant with the Bybee surname.

In the 17th century, the name Bybee continued to appear in various records across England. One notable individual was John Bybee (1632-1703), a landowner and farmer from Yorkshire.

As the centuries progressed, the Bybee surname began to spread beyond England. In the 18th century, Robert Bybee (1745-1820) was a Scottish emigrant who settled in the American colonies and fought in the Revolutionary War.

Other noteworthy figures with the Bybee surname include:

  1. Thomas Bybee (1810-1891), an English author and poet.
  2. Mary Bybee (1845-1916), an American educator and suffragist.
  3. William Bybee (1876-1948), a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
  4. James Bybee (1939-2021), an American law professor and former assistant attorney general.
  5. John Bybee (born 1964), an American psychologist and researcher in the field of cognitive science.

While the Bybee surname has been present throughout history, it remains relatively uncommon compared to some other English surnames. Nonetheless, its origins and evolution reflect the rich tapestry of English language and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bybee

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

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 Bybee was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.11% 4,296
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.78% 82
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.46% 21
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.78% 36
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.63% 75
Hispanic Origin 2.25% 104

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 Bybee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.11% 93.93% -0.88%
Black 1.78% 1.67% 6.38%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.46% 0.49% -6.32%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.78% 1.02% -26.67%
Two or More Races 1.63% 1.11% 37.96%
Hispanic 2.25% 1.79% 22.77%

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

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

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"Bybee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bybee-surname-popularity/.

"Bybee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bybee-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Bybee last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bybee-surname-popularity/.

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