2000
#4,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,689
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.48
Rare Last name
Beardsley
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Beornred's clearing" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,122 Americans carry the last name Beardsley. That puts it at #5,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beardsley 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 Beardsley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,126
Census rank
#5,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,211 bearers of the surname Beardsley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beardsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beardsley
The surname Beardsley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "bearde" meaning beard and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a meadow or clearing where bearded individuals gathered.
The name Beardsley can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records showing variations such as Berdesleye and Berdesleia. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, where several places were named Beardsley or Beardsall.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Richard de Berdesleye from Derbyshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 also contains references to places that may have given rise to the surname, such as Berdeslau and Berdeshille.
In the 14th century, the name Beardsley appeared in various historical records, including the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332, which listed a John de Berdesleye from Staffordshire. The Pipe Rolls of 1379 also mentioned a Thomas Berdesley from Derbyshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Beardsley throughout history include:
1. Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), an English illustrator and author, known for his distinctive black and white illustrations.
2. Samuel Beardsley (1787-1860), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 26th Attorney General of New York.
3. Wilfred Beardsley (1891-1961), an American tennis player who won the Wimbledon Championships in 1910 and 1912.
4. Josephine Beardsley (1859-1950), an American philanthropist and social reformer, known for her efforts in establishing the Beardsley Rural Teacher Training Department at the University of Kansas.
5. Harry Beardsley (1893-1968), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century.
In terms of place names, the village of Beardsley in Derbyshire and the hamlet of Beardsall in Nottinghamshire are believed to be derived from the same Old English roots as the surname. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname Beardsley throughout England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beardsley
Among Census respondents with the surname Beardsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Beardsley 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 Beardsley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 5,583
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 284
- Two or more races3.6% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 53
- Black or African American0.7% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beardsley
Beardsley 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
#5,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,950
+261 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#5,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,211
-739 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 374 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,818 | 6,689 | 2.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,048 | 6,950 | 2.36 | +261 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #5,422 | 6,211 | 2.08 | -739 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 374 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 Beardsley 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 | #5,048 | #5,422 | -7.4% |
| Count | 6,950 | 6,211 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.36 | 2.08 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beardsley bearers went from 6,950 to 6,211 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 374 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,048 to #5,422.
FAQ
Beardsley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beardsley?
Name Census estimates that about 7,122 living Americans carry the surname Beardsley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,126 residents.
How common is Beardsley?
Beardsley ranks #5,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,211 people with the surname Beardsley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Beardsley.
Has Beardsley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beardsley went from 6,950 recorded bearers to 6,211. That is a decrease of 739 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,048 to #5,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Beardsley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beardsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Beardsley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (5,583 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beardsley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Beardsley (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 Beardsley mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Beornred's clearing" 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 Beardsley (2.08 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 Beardsley?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Beardsley at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.