2000
#73,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 247
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Belfon
A French surname indicating a place of origin or residence near a handsome or beautiful hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 380 Americans carry the last name Belfon. That puts it at #64,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 901,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belfon 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 Belfon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
380
1 in 901,985
Census rank
#64,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
331
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 331 bearers of the surname Belfon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belfon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belfon
The surname Belfon has its origins in the Normandy region of France, tracing back to the early 11th century. It is derived from the Old French words "bel" meaning "beautiful" and "fon" from the Latin "fundum" meaning "land" or "estate". The name likely referred to someone who owned or resided on a particularly scenic or picturesque property.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the Belfon name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and settlements across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a "Robert de Belfon" holding lands in the county of Wiltshire.
By the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear in records across northern France and parts of England. Spellings such as Belfoun, Belfoyn, and Belfoine were common during this period. A notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Belfon, a Norman knight who fought alongside Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade in the late 12th century.
The Belfon name can also be traced to various place names in Normandy, such as the village of Beaufour, which translates to "beautiful estate" or "beautiful land". It is likely that some Belfon families took their surname from these locales.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, several Belfon individuals achieved prominence in various fields. Jean Belfon (1492-1554) was a French scholar and humanist who contributed to the study of classical literature and philosophy. Marie Belfon (1598-1676) was a renowned French painter and portraitist during the Baroque era, known for her depictions of aristocratic subjects.
In England, the Belfon name was associated with landed gentry and the aristocracy. Sir Roger Belfon (1624-1693) was a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles II. His son, Edward Belfon (1659-1721), was a noted botanist and horticulturist who introduced several new plant species to England from his extensive travels.
As the centuries progressed, the Belfon name spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world through emigration and exploration. Today, while not a particularly common surname, it remains represented in various countries and cultures, carrying with it the legacy of its Norman roots and associations with beauty, land, and distinction.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belfon
Among Census respondents with the surname Belfon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Belfon 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 Belfon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.1% · 305
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 6
- Two or more races1.5% · 5
- White0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belfon
Belfon 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
#68,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 285
+38 bearers (+15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 4,205 places
2020
#64,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 331
+46 bearers (+16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 4,129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #73,154 | 247 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #68,949 | 285 | 0.10 | +38 bearers (+15.4%) | Up 4,205 places |
| 2020 | #64,820 | 331 | 0.11 | +46 bearers (+16.1%) | Up 4,129 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 Belfon 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 | #68,949 | #64,820 | 6.0% |
| Count | 285 | 331 | 16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.11 | 10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belfon bearers went from 285 to 331 (+16.1% change). The surname moved up 4,129 positions in the national ranking, going from #68,949 to #64,820.
FAQ
Belfon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belfon?
Name Census estimates that about 380 living Americans carry the surname Belfon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 901,985 residents.
How common is Belfon?
Belfon ranks #64,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 331 people with the surname Belfon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (380), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Belfon.
Has Belfon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belfon went from 285 recorded bearers to 331. That is an increase of 46 (+16.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #68,949 to #64,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Belfon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belfon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Belfon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (305 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belfon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Belfon (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 Belfon mean?
A French surname indicating a place of origin or residence near a handsome or beautiful hill. 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 Belfon (0.11 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 Belfon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.