2000
#16,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,569
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Bibby
A surname derived from a location name associated with an area near a brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,713 Americans carry the last name Bibby. That puts it at #18,331 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 200,090 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bibby 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 Bibby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.7K
1 in 200,090
Census rank
#18,331
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,494 bearers of the surname Bibby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18331st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bibby, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bibby
The surname Bibby originates from England, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bybi," which referred to a small settlement or hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Byby." This document was a census-like survey undertaken during the reign of King Edward I.
The Bibby name has strong ties to Lancashire, particularly in areas around the town of Wigan. In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Bybie" and "Bibbie," reflecting the regional dialects of the time.
Historically, the Bibby family held land and property in the villages of Upholland and Billinge, near Wigan. Records from the 17th century mention John Bibby (1624-1697), a prominent landowner and yeoman farmer from Upholland.
Another notable figure was James Bibby (1777-1861), a successful cotton manufacturer from Leigh, Lancashire. He established the Bibby Line, a renowned shipping company that played a significant role in the growth of the British maritime industry.
The Bibby surname also has connections to the town of Chorley, where the Bibby family owned several mills and factories during the Industrial Revolution. One member of this branch was Sir Joseph Bibby (1838-1914), a businessman and philanthropist who was knighted for his contributions to the local community.
In the literary world, Walter Ebenezer Bibby (1871-1949), a writer and journalist from Liverpool, gained recognition for his works on local history and dialect poetry.
The name Bibby has also been associated with notable figures in other fields, such as John Bibby (1918-2007), a British author and illustrator of children's books, and Edward Bibby (1838-1889), a pioneering English engineer and inventor of agricultural machinery.
While the Bibby surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and family connections, carrying with it a rich historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bibby
Among Census respondents with the surname Bibby, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bibby 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 Bibby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 1,138
- Black or African American15.0% · 224
- Two or more races4.1% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bibby
Bibby 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
#17,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,624
+55 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Down 624 places
2020
#18,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,494
-130 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 946 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,761 | 1,569 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,385 | 1,624 | 0.55 | +55 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 624 places |
| 2020 | #18,331 | 1,494 | 0.50 | -130 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 946 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 Bibby 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 | #17,385 | #18,331 | -5.4% |
| Count | 1,624 | 1,494 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.50 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bibby bearers went from 1,624 to 1,494 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 946 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,385 to #18,331.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bibby
FAQ
Bibby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bibby?
Name Census estimates that about 1,713 living Americans carry the surname Bibby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 200,090 residents.
How common is Bibby?
Bibby ranks #18,331 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 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 1,494 people with the surname Bibby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,713), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 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 Bibby.
Has Bibby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bibby went from 1,624 recorded bearers to 1,494. That is a decrease of 130 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,385 to #18,331.
What does the Census say about the background of Bibby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bibby, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Bibby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (1,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bibby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (15.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Bibby (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 Bibby mean?
A surname derived from a location name associated with an area near a brook or stream. 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 Bibby (0.50 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 Americans have the surname Bibby?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.