2000
#2,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,334
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.20
Uncommon Last name
Beckett
Derived from a place name meaning "bee cottage" or "beehive-keeper's cottage" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,085 Americans carry the last name Beckett. That puts it at #3,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,194 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beckett 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 Beckett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,194
Census rank
#3,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,411 bearers of the surname Beckett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckett, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beckett
The surname Beckett originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bec" meaning a stream or brook, and "hett" meaning a hunting area or wood. This suggests the name may have referred to someone who lived near a stream in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a William Becket. The name also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Becchet" and "Becchett", which were early spellings used in various regions.
In the 13th century, the name was found in various forms such as Becket, Bequet, and Beket in various parts of England, including Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and spelling differences at the time.
One notable figure with the surname Beckett was Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered in 1170 after a dispute with King Henry II. This event brought significant attention to the name and may have contributed to its spread and popularity in subsequent centuries.
Other historical figures with the surname Beckett include Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), the Nobel Prize-winning Irish playwright and novelist known for works such as "Waiting for Godot" and "Endgame". William Beckett (1684-1738) was an English surgeon and anatomist who made significant contributions to the study of embryology.
In the 16th century, the name was also associated with places like Becketts Park in Shropshire and Beckett Street in Bedford, further reinforcing its connection to geographic locations.
Throughout history, the Beckett surname has been found across various regions of England and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including writers, clergymen, and scholars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beckett
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckett, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Beckett 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 Beckett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.9% · 8,660
- Black or African American15.5% · 1,768
- Two or more races4.2% · 474
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 389
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beckett
Beckett 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
#3,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,763
+429 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.99
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#3,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,411
-352 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 3.82
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,916 | 11,334 | 4.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,045 | 11,763 | 3.99 | +429 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #3,071 | 11,411 | 3.82 | -352 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 26 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 Beckett 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 | #3,045 | #3,071 | -0.9% |
| Count | 11,763 | 11,411 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.99 | 3.82 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beckett bearers went from 11,763 to 11,411 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,045 to #3,071.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Beckett
FAQ
Beckett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beckett?
Name Census estimates that about 13,085 living Americans carry the surname Beckett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,194 residents.
How common is Beckett?
Beckett ranks #3,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,411 people with the surname Beckett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Beckett.
Has Beckett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beckett went from 11,763 recorded bearers to 11,411. That is a decrease of 352 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,045 to #3,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Beckett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beckett, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Beckett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.9% (8,660 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beckett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.9%), Black (15.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Beckett (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 Beckett mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bee cottage" or "beehive-keeper's cottage" 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 Beckett (3.82 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 Beckett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.