2000
#2,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,813
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.49
Uncommon Last name
Beebe
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bee shelter" or "bee farm."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,265 Americans carry the last name Beebe. That puts it at #2,479 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,073 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beebe 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 Beebe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,073
Census rank
#2,479
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,184 bearers of the surname Beebe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2479th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beebe
The surname Beebe originated in England, with its roots tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bece," which meant a brook or stream. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a small body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named John de la Bece is mentioned. This provides evidence that the surname was in use during the late 12th century, albeit with a slightly different spelling.
Another early reference to the name Beebe appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which lists a Richard de la Bece. This record further solidifies the connection between the surname and its geographic origins, as it indicates that individuals with this name were present in different regions of England during the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname began to take on its more recognizable form, with variations like "Bebe" and "Beeby" appearing in historical documents. One notable individual from this period was John Beebe, who was born in Nottinghamshire around 1330 and served as a clerk and legal advisor to King Edward III.
As time progressed, the surname continued to evolve, with spellings such as "Beeby," "Beebe," and "Beebie" gaining prominence. In the 16th century, the Beebe family established a presence in the county of Hertfordshire, where they owned land and property.
One of the most famous individuals bearing the Beebe surname was William Beebe, an American naturalist and explorer who was born in 1877 and died in 1962. He made significant contributions to the field of ornithology and conducted pioneering underwater expeditions using the bathysphere, a spherical deep-sea vessel.
Another notable figure was Lucius Beebe, an American writer and photographer born in 1902 and died in 1966. He is best known for his books on travel and luxury, including "The Stork Club Bar Book" and "The Big Spenders."
In the realm of sports, Walter Beebe, born in 1892 and died in 1959, was a prominent American football player and coach. He played for West Point and later served as the head coach at Cornell University and the United States Naval Academy.
The surname Beebe has also been associated with several notable personalities in the field of academia and science. One such individual was William Beebe, a renowned American ornithologist and explorer born in 1877 and died in 1962, who made significant contributions to the study of bird life and underwater exploration.
Throughout its history, the surname Beebe has maintained a strong presence in various regions of England, as well as in the United States, where many individuals with this surname immigrated and established themselves in various communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beebe
Among Census respondents with the surname Beebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Beebe 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 Beebe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 12,709
- Two or more races3.9% · 551
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 462
- Black or African American1.4% · 192
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 134
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beebe
Beebe 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
#2,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,847
+34 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 5.03
Rank movement Down 185 places
2020
#2,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,184
-663 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.75
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,256 | 14,813 | 5.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,441 | 14,847 | 5.03 | +34 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 185 places |
| 2020 | #2,479 | 14,184 | 4.75 | -663 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 38 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 Beebe 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 | #2,441 | #2,479 | -1.6% |
| Count | 14,847 | 14,184 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.03 | 4.75 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beebe bearers went from 14,847 to 14,184 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,441 to #2,479.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Beebe
FAQ
Beebe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beebe?
Name Census estimates that about 16,265 living Americans carry the surname Beebe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,073 residents.
How common is Beebe?
Beebe ranks #2,479 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.75 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 14,184 people with the surname Beebe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,265), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.75 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 Beebe.
Has Beebe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beebe went from 14,847 recorded bearers to 14,184. That is a decrease of 663 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,441 to #2,479.
What does the Census say about the background of Beebe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beebe, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Beebe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (12,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beebe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Beebe (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 Beebe mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bee shelter" or "bee farm." 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 Beebe (4.75 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 common is the surname Beebe?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Beebe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.