2000
#23,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,014
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Belleville
A locational surname derived from a place in France meaning "beautiful town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,146 Americans carry the last name Belleville. That puts it at #25,819 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 299,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Belleville 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
1.1K
1 in 299,088
Census rank
#25,819
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
999
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 999 bearers of the surname Belleville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25819th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Belleville, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Belleville
The surname Belleville originates from France and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the city of Belleville, located in the northern suburbs of Paris. The name is believed to have come from the Latin words "bella" meaning beautiful and "villa" meaning town or village, suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived in or came from a beautiful town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the 12th century. In this record, a certain Petrus de Belleville is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction in the year 1180.
During the 13th century, the name appears in various historical documents related to the region around Paris. For instance, a knight named Raoul de Belleville is mentioned in the Livre des Vassaux, a register of feudal lords and their vassals, compiled in the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name Belleville gained prominence with the birth of Jean de Belleville (1330-1405), a French prelate who served as the Bishop of Coutances and later as the Archbishop of Sens. He played a significant role in the resolution of the Western Schism, a period of dispute over the legitimacy of the papacy.
Another notable figure with the surname Belleville was Jacques de Belleville (1558-1629), a French jurist and diplomat who served as the French ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire. He was involved in negotiating the Peace of Vervins treaty in 1598, which ended the Franco-Spanish War.
In the 18th century, the name Belleville was associated with the French philosopher and writer, Étienne de Belleville (1723-1804). He was a prominent figure in the Age of Enlightenment and is best known for his work "Essai sur l'Entendement Humain" (Essay on Human Understanding), which explored the nature of human knowledge and perception.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Belleville has been found in various spellings and variations, such as Belville, Belvile, and Bellevilla, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects. Additionally, the name has been associated with several place names in France, including Belleville-sur-Meuse, Belleville-sur-Vie, and Belleville-en-Beaujolais, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belleville
Among Census respondents with the surname Belleville, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Belleville 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 Belleville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 896
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 54
- Two or more races2.4% · 24
- Black or African American1.3% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Belleville
Belleville 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
#24,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,010
-4 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 1,311 places
2020
#25,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 999
-11 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 1,117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,391 | 1,014 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,702 | 1,010 | 0.34 | -4 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 1,311 places |
| 2020 | #25,819 | 999 | 0.33 | -11 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 1,117 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 Belleville 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 | #24,702 | #25,819 | -4.5% |
| Count | 1,010 | 999 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.33 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Belleville bearers went from 1,010 to 999 (-1.1% change). The surname moved down 1,117 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,702 to #25,819.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Belleville
FAQ
Belleville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Belleville?
Name Census estimates that about 1,146 living Americans carry the surname Belleville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 299,088 residents.
How common is Belleville?
Belleville ranks #25,819 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 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 999 people with the surname Belleville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 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 Belleville.
Has Belleville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Belleville went from 1,010 recorded bearers to 999. That is a decrease of 11 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,702 to #25,819.
What does the Census say about the background of Belleville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Belleville, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Belleville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Belleville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Belleville (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 Belleville mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in France meaning "beautiful town". 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 Belleville (0.33 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 Belleville?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.