2000
#8,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,704
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Bye
A toponymic surname derived from the Old Norse word "býr," meaning village or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,792 Americans carry the last name Bye. That puts it at #9,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bye 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 Bye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,389
Census rank
#9,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,307 bearers of the surname Bye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bye, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bye
The surname "BYE" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "byge," which means "a bend or curve," often referring to a person who lived near a bend in a road or river.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. It was often spelled as "Bye," "Bie," or "Bye" in ancient records and manuscripts.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Bye, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297. Another notable figure was John Bye, a landowner from Norfolk, whose name appeared in the Feet of Fines records in 1342.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name became more widespread across England, and several individuals with the surname Bye made their mark in various fields. One such person was Richard Bye (c. 1570-1631), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stanhope in Durham.
Another notable figure was Sir William Bye (1616-1681), a English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark and was knighted by King Charles II in 1660. He played a crucial role in the Restoration of the monarchy after the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the name Bye was associated with several notable individuals, including Thomas Bye (1733-1811), an English Dissenting minister and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
One of the most prominent bearers of the surname Bye in the 19th century was Edward Bye Ficklin (1828-1891), an American lawyer and politician who served as a Confederate States Senator during the American Civil War.
While the name Bye can be found in various parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage, its roots can be traced back to medieval England, where it was closely associated with geographical features and locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bye
Among Census respondents with the surname Bye, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bye 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 Bye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 2,999
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 109
- Two or more races3.1% · 102
- Black or African American1.4% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bye
Bye 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
#9,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,423
-281 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 1,265 places
2020
#9,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,307
-116 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Up 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,231 | 3,704 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,496 | 3,423 | 1.16 | -281 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 1,265 places |
| 2020 | #9,421 | 3,307 | 1.11 | -116 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 75 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 Bye 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 | #9,496 | #9,421 | 0.8% |
| Count | 3,423 | 3,307 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.11 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bye bearers went from 3,423 to 3,307 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,496 to #9,421.
FAQ
Bye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bye?
Name Census estimates that about 3,792 living Americans carry the surname Bye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,389 residents.
How common is Bye?
Bye ranks #9,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,307 people with the surname Bye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,792), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Bye.
Has Bye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bye went from 3,423 recorded bearers to 3,307. That is a decrease of 116 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,496 to #9,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Bye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bye, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (2,999 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bye (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 Bye mean?
A toponymic surname derived from the Old Norse word "býr," meaning village or settlement. 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 Bye (1.11 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 have the surname Bye?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.