2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bylo
An Anglicized spelling of a Slavic surname referring to a past event or state of being.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Bylo. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bylo 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.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Bylo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bylo, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bylo
The surname Bylo originated in the Czech Republic, with records dating back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old Czech word "bylý," meaning "white" or "pale," likely referring to a person's physical appearance or perhaps a place name associated with a white or pale landscape.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bylo can be found in a 1387 document from the town of Pilsen, where a certain Jan Bylo is mentioned as a local landowner. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, a noble family bearing the name Bylo von Bílkov is recorded as owning lands near the village of Bílkov, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of their surname over time.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any references to the surname Bylo, indicating that it was primarily a Czech or Slavic name during that period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Vaclav Bylo, a prominent Czech scholar and astronomer who lived from 1495 to 1556. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and is credited with improving the accuracy of astrological calculations.
Another notable figure was Jan Bylo, a 16th-century Czech painter and illustrator known for his intricate religious works and portraiture. His most famous painting, "The Adoration of the Magi," can still be seen in the Church of St. Vitus in Prague.
In the 17th century, the name Bylo appeared in various records across Bohemia, including a 1633 census listing a family of landowners in the town of Kutná Hora. This suggests that the name had gained some prominence among the Czech nobility during that period.
During the 18th century, a Czech composer named Jakub Bylo (1712-1788) gained recognition for his contributions to the development of the Classical music style. His works were performed throughout Europe and influenced many subsequent composers.
In more recent times, one of the most famous bearers of the surname was the Czech poet and novelist Jaroslav Bylo (1892-1972), whose works explored themes of nationalism, identity, and the human condition. He is considered a key figure in the literary movement known as Czech Modernism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bylo
Among Census respondents with the surname Bylo, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bylo 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 Bylo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bylo
Bylo 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+14 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,117 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-23 bearers (-17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 3,117 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.3%) | Down 21,197 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 Bylo 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 | #128,249 | #149,446 | -16.5% |
| Count | 133 | 110 | -17.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bylo bearers went from 133 to 110 (-17.3% change). The surname moved down 21,197 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #149,446.
FAQ
Bylo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bylo?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Bylo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Bylo?
Bylo ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Bylo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bylo.
Has Bylo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bylo went from 133 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Bylo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bylo, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bylo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bylo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bylo (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 Bylo mean?
An Anglicized spelling of a Slavic surname referring to a past event or state of being. 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 Bylo (0.04 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 share the surname Bylo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.