2000
#846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.77
Uncommon Last name
Bean
An occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of beans.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 40,570 Americans carry the last name Bean. That puts it at #973 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,448 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bean 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 Bean with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
41K
1 in 8,448
Census rank
#973
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,379 bearers of the surname Bean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 973rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bean, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bean
The surname Bean is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "bean" or "bene," which referred to the legume or edible seed. The name likely originated as a nickname or occupational name for someone who cultivated, sold, or enjoyed beans.
The earliest known record of the Bean surname dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1182 as "Willelmus Bene." The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273 as "Thomas le Bene."
In the 13th century, the name was found in various forms, such as "le Bene," "Bene," and "Beane," reflecting regional dialects and spelling variations common during that time. The surname may also be connected to places like Bean in Hampshire or Beane in Hertfordshire, which could have influenced the name's development.
Notable individuals with the surname Bean include Robert Bean (c. 1608–1680), an English Puritan minister and co-founder of the town of Exeter, New Hampshire. Another was Obadiah Bean (1750-1834), a soldier in the American Revolutionary War from Massachusetts.
In the 19th century, John Wesley Bean (1825-1887) was a prominent Methodist minister and educator in Missouri, while Thomas Ellwood Bean (1869-1947) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the Premier of British Columbia from 1937 to 1941.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was Roy Bean (1825-1903), known as the "Law West of the Pecos" for his unconventional approach to justice as a judge in Texas during the Wild West era.
These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have carried the Bean surname, originating from its humble roots as a descriptive name related to the humble legume.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bean
Among Census respondents with the surname Bean, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bean 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 Bean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 27,688
- Black or African American13.2% · 4,667
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,408
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,058
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 297
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 261
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bean
Bean 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
#926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,571
+426 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 12.74
Rank movement Down 80 places
2020
#973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,379
-2,192 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 11.84
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #846 | 37,145 | 13.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #926 | 37,571 | 12.74 | +426 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 80 places |
| 2020 | #973 | 35,379 | 11.84 | -2,192 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 47 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 Bean 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 | #926 | #973 | -5.1% |
| Count | 37,571 | 35,379 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 12.74 | 11.84 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bean bearers went from 37,571 to 35,379 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #926 to #973.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bean
FAQ
Bean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bean?
Name Census estimates that about 40,570 living Americans carry the surname Bean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,448 residents.
How common is Bean?
Bean ranks #973 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,379 people with the surname Bean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (40,570), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Bean.
Has Bean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bean went from 37,571 recorded bearers to 35,379. That is a decrease of 2,192 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #926 to #973.
What does the Census say about the background of Bean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bean, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (27,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Black (13.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bean (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 Bean mean?
An occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of beans. 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 Bean (11.84 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 Americans have the surname Bean?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.