2000
#67
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 264,752
First available Census row
Per 100,000 98.14
Common Last name
Bell
An occupational surname referring to a bell founder or bell ringer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 306,204 Americans carry the last name Bell. That puts it at #76 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 89.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bell 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 Bell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
306K
1 in 1,119
Census rank
#76
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
89.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
267K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 267,025 bearers of the surname Bell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 89.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 76th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bell, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bell
The surname Bell is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word 'belle', which means 'bell'. It was originally an occupational surname given to those who worked as bell-ringers, either in churches or towns. The earliest records of the name date back to the late 12th century.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Bell is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a man named William le Belleringe is mentioned. This suggests that the name was in use as an occupational surname by the late 12th century.
The surname Bell is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several places with names that contain the element 'bell', such as Belchamp in Essex and Belford in Northumberland. These place names were likely derived from the Old English word 'belle', indicating the presence of bell-ringers or bell-makers in those areas.
In the 13th century, the surname Bell appears in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a man named Richard le Belleyetere is listed. The surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a man named Robert le Bell is recorded.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Bell was Sir Robert Bell, a Scottish clergyman who served as the Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1498 to 1500. Another notable person with this surname was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-born inventor who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone.
Other famous individuals with the surname Bell include John Bell (1797-1869), an American politician and Secretary of War under President William Henry Harrison, and Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), a British writer, traveler, and political officer who played a significant role in establishing the modern state of Iraq.
Ian Bell (born 1982) is a former English cricketer who played for the England national team and was part of the team that won the Ashes in 2005 and 2009. Joshua Bell (born 1967) is an American violinist and conductor who is widely recognized as one of the world's greatest classical musicians.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bell
Among Census respondents with the surname Bell, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bell 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 Bell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.9% · 157,259
- Black or African American31.4% · 83,851
- Two or more races4.7% · 12,622
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 9,146
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2,397
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,750
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bell
Bell 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
#106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220,599
-44,153 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 74.78
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#76
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267,025
+46,426 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 89.34
Rank movement Up 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67 | 264,752 | 98.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #106 | 220,599 | 74.78 | -44,153 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #76 | 267,025 | 89.34 | +46,426 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 30 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 Bell 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 | #106 | #76 | 28.3% |
| Count | 220,599 | 267,025 | 21.0% |
| Per 100K | 74.78 | 89.34 | 19.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bell bearers went from 220,599 to 267,025 (+21.0% change). The surname moved up 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #106 to #76.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bell
FAQ
Bell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bell?
Name Census estimates that about 306,204 living Americans carry the surname Bell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,119 residents.
How common is Bell?
Bell ranks #76 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 89.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 89 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 267,025 people with the surname Bell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (306,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 89.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 89.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 89 of them to have the surname Bell.
Has Bell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bell went from 220,599 recorded bearers to 267,025. That is an increase of 46,426 (+21.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #106 to #76.
What does the Census say about the background of Bell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bell, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Bell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.9% (157,259 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.9%), Black (31.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Bell (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 Bell mean?
An occupational surname referring to a bell founder or bell ringer. 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 Bell (89.34 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 are called Bell?
See how common the surname Bell is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.