2000
#2,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.64
Uncommon Last name
Bynum
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "by the yew tree" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,610 Americans carry the last name Bynum. That puts it at #2,316 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bynum 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
18K
1 in 19,464
Census rank
#2,316
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,357 bearers of the surname Bynum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2316th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bynum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.1%. The next largest groups are White (42.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bynum
The surname Bynum has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Bynum or Byneham, likely referring to a homestead or farm belonging to someone named Byne.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bineham." This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
Over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Byneham, Bynnam, Bynnum, and eventually, Bynum. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes and record keepers.
In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Byneham living in Oxfordshire. A century later, in 1327, a William de Byneham is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire.
One notable figure bearing the Bynum name was Sir Thomas Bynum, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the late 15th century. He is recorded as having participated in the Wars of the Roses on the Yorkist side.
Another notable Bynum was Robert Bynum, a Puritan minister who fled religious persecution in England and settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. He played a significant role in the early religious and political life of the colony.
In the 18th century, John Bynum, a British explorer and cartographer, gained recognition for his detailed maps of the Caribbean region, which were widely used by navigators and traders.
Moving into the 19th century, we find William Bynum, a renowned English architect who was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Town Hall in Birmingham, England, completed in 1834.
While the surname Bynum originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, its roots can be traced back to medieval England and the various place names and historical figures associated with it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bynum
Among Census respondents with the surname Bynum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.1%. The next largest groups are White (42.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bynum 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 Bynum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.1% · 7,385
- White42.9% · 6,582
- Two or more races4.9% · 746
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 455
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bynum
Bynum 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
#2,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,166
+962 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 5.48
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#2,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,357
-809 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 5.14
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,196 | 15,204 | 5.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,251 | 16,166 | 5.48 | +962 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #2,316 | 15,357 | 5.14 | -809 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 65 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 Bynum 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 | #2,251 | #2,316 | -2.9% |
| Count | 16,166 | 15,357 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.48 | 5.14 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bynum bearers went from 16,166 to 15,357 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,251 to #2,316.
FAQ
Bynum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bynum?
Name Census estimates that about 17,610 living Americans carry the surname Bynum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,464 residents.
How common is Bynum?
Bynum ranks #2,316 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,357 people with the surname Bynum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Bynum.
Has Bynum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bynum went from 16,166 recorded bearers to 15,357. That is a decrease of 809 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,251 to #2,316.
What does the Census say about the background of Bynum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bynum, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.1%. The next largest groups are White (42.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bynum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.1% (7,385 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bynum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.1%), White (42.9%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Bynum (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 Bynum mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "by the yew tree" in Old English. 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 Bynum (5.14 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 last name Bynum?
You can see how many people are called Bynum on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.