2000
#35,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Bearse
An English surname derived from a place name in Cornwall, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 581 Americans carry the last name Bearse. That puts it at #45,457 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 589,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bearse 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
581
1 in 589,939
Census rank
#45,457
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
507
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 507 bearers of the surname Bearse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45457th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bearse, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bearse
The surname Bearse traces its origins back to England, where it emerged in the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bere," which meant "barley" or "corn," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who grew or traded in these crops.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which lists a Richard Bere. The Placita de Quo Warranto, a legal record from 1292, also mentions a John de la Bere.
The Bearse surname is closely linked to various place names in England, such as Bere Regis in Dorset, Bere Ferrers in Devon, and Bere in Worcestershire. These locations likely contributed to the development and spread of the surname in different regions.
Notable individuals with the Bearse surname include John Bearse (1555-1625), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious works, including "A Treatise on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper." Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Bearse (1602-1673), one of the earliest settlers of Barnstable, Massachusetts, who arrived in the New World in the 1630s.
In the 17th century, Richard Bearse (1625-1701) was a prominent merchant and shipowner in Boston, Massachusetts. His son, Austin Bearse (1651-1717), served as a deacon in the Congregational Church and was involved in local government.
Moving into the 18th century, Joseph Bearse (1720-1799) was a Revolutionary War soldier from Massachusetts who fought in several battles against the British forces.
Throughout its history, the Bearse surname has been associated with various occupations, including agriculture, religion, trade, and military service, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bearse
Among Census respondents with the surname Bearse, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bearse 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 Bearse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 473
- Two or more races2.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 10
- Black or African American1.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bearse
Bearse 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
#42,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 513
-76 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 6,314 places
2020
#45,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 507
-6 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 3,149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,994 | 589 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,308 | 513 | 0.17 | -76 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 6,314 places |
| 2020 | #45,457 | 507 | 0.17 | -6 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 3,149 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 Bearse 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 | #42,308 | #45,457 | -7.4% |
| Count | 513 | 507 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.17 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bearse bearers went from 513 to 507 (-1.2% change). The surname moved down 3,149 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,308 to #45,457.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bearse
FAQ
Bearse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bearse?
Name Census estimates that about 581 living Americans carry the surname Bearse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 589,939 residents.
How common is Bearse?
Bearse ranks #45,457 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 507 people with the surname Bearse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (581), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Bearse.
Has Bearse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bearse went from 513 recorded bearers to 507. That is a decrease of 6 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #42,308 to #45,457.
What does the Census say about the background of Bearse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bearse, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Bearse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bearse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Bearse (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 Bearse mean?
An English surname derived from a place name in Cornwall, England. 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 Bearse (0.17 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 Bearse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.