2000
#15,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,683
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Beliveau
A French surname deriving from the Occitan words "bèl" (beautiful) and "vèdre" (view or vantage point).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,839 Americans carry the last name Beliveau. That puts it at #17,249 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 186,381 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beliveau 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
1.8K
1 in 186,381
Census rank
#17,249
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,604 bearers of the surname Beliveau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17249th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beliveau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beliveau
The surname BELIVEAU originates from France and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the French words "bel" meaning "beautiful" and "lieu" meaning "place" or "spot." The earliest recorded examples of this surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Picardy.
During the Middle Ages, the name BELIVEAU was often used to refer to a person living in a picturesque or scenic location. It is believed that the name was originally bestowed upon individuals who resided in areas of outstanding natural beauty, such as valleys, meadows, or near rivers or forests.
In the 13th century, the name BELIVEAU appeared in various legal documents and records, including land deeds and tax rolls. For instance, a certain Robert BELIVEAU was mentioned in the Chartulary of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives Abbey in Normandy in 1247.
Notable individuals bearing the surname BELIVEAU throughout history include:
1. Jean BELIVEAU (1495-1572), a French diplomat and ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire during the reign of King Francis I.
2. Marie BELIVEAU (1601-1678), a prominent figure in the early settlement of New France (present-day Quebec, Canada). She was one of the first European women to arrive in the colony in 1634.
3. Pierre BELIVEAU (1638-1708), a French-Canadian farmer and landowner who established one of the first settlements in the Beauce region of Quebec.
4. Jacques BELIVEAU (1751-1825), a French-Canadian politician and military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada.
5. Jean BELIVEAU (1931-2014), a legendary Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent his entire career with the Montreal Canadiens. He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.
Throughout its history, the surname BELIVEAU has been subject to various spelling variations, including Belliveau, Bellivau, and Belleveau, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas of France and later, French Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beliveau
Among Census respondents with the surname Beliveau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Beliveau 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 Beliveau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 1,486
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 56
- Two or more races2.6% · 42
- Black or African American0.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beliveau
Beliveau 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
#16,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,721
+38 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 774 places
2020
#17,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,604
-117 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 605 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,870 | 1,683 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,644 | 1,721 | 0.58 | +38 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 774 places |
| 2020 | #17,249 | 1,604 | 0.54 | -117 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 605 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 Beliveau 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 | #16,644 | #17,249 | -3.6% |
| Count | 1,721 | 1,604 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.54 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beliveau bearers went from 1,721 to 1,604 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 605 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,644 to #17,249.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Beliveau
FAQ
Beliveau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beliveau?
Name Census estimates that about 1,839 living Americans carry the surname Beliveau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 186,381 residents.
How common is Beliveau?
Beliveau ranks #17,249 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,604 people with the surname Beliveau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,839), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Beliveau.
Has Beliveau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beliveau went from 1,721 recorded bearers to 1,604. That is a decrease of 117 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,644 to #17,249.
What does the Census say about the background of Beliveau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beliveau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Beliveau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (1,486 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beliveau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Beliveau (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 Beliveau mean?
A French surname deriving from the Occitan words "bèl" (beautiful) and "vèdre" (view or vantage point). 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 Beliveau (0.54 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 Beliveau?
See how many people have the last name Beliveau on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.