2000
#5,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,082
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.25
Rare Last name
Billups
Derived from a place name meaning "hill-tops" in Old English, referring to someone who lived on or near hills.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,295 Americans carry the last name Billups. That puts it at #5,289 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Billups 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 Billups with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,985
Census rank
#5,289
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,362 bearers of the surname Billups in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5289th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Billups, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.0%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Billups
The surname Billups has its origins in England, with records indicating it first appeared in the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bil" meaning "dweller near a hill or ridge" and "hop" meaning "small valley or hollow". This suggests the name originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived in a valley near a hill or ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Richard Billop is mentioned as residing in Oxfordshire. Another early record is from 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, listing a Thomas de Bylhop.
The Billups surname appears to have been initially concentrated in the west midlands region of England, particularly in counties such as Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, including Billop, Billup, Bilhope, and Bilhope.
In the 16th century, the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, where a John Billups was christened in 1587. Around the same time, a Thomas Billups was recorded as living in the village of Chaddesley Corbett in Worcestershire.
One notable historical figure with the Billups surname was Sir John Billups, a Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis in the late 17th century. He was born in 1643 and died in 1706.
Another prominent individual was William Billups, an English clergyman and author who lived from 1638 to 1696. He was a vicar in Berkshire and published several religious works.
In the 18th century, a John Billups (1715-1786) was a successful merchant and landowner in Bristol, known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting local charities and education.
The name also appears in colonial American records, with a Thomas Billups being among the early settlers in Virginia in the late 17th century. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various states, including Maryland and North Carolina.
One of the most famous individuals with the Billups surname was Chauncey Billups, an American professional basketball player who was born in 1976 and enjoyed a successful career in the NBA, playing for several teams including the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Billups
Among Census respondents with the surname Billups, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.0%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Billups 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 Billups surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.0% · 4,135
- White26.3% · 1,671
- Two or more races4.7% · 298
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Billups
Billups 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
#5,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,475
+393 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#5,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,362
-113 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Up 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,265 | 6,082 | 2.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,375 | 6,475 | 2.20 | +393 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #5,289 | 6,362 | 2.13 | -113 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 86 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 Billups 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 | #5,375 | #5,289 | 1.6% |
| Count | 6,475 | 6,362 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.20 | 2.13 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Billups bearers went from 6,475 to 6,362 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,375 to #5,289.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Billups
FAQ
Billups surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Billups?
Name Census estimates that about 7,295 living Americans carry the surname Billups. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,985 residents.
How common is Billups?
Billups ranks #5,289 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,362 people with the surname Billups. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Billups.
Has Billups become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Billups went from 6,475 recorded bearers to 6,362. That is a decrease of 113 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,375 to #5,289.
What does the Census say about the background of Billups?
Among Census respondents with the surname Billups, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.0%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Billups in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.0% (4,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Billups appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (65.0%), White (26.3%), 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 Billups (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 Billups mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill-tops" in Old English, referring to someone who lived on or near hills. 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 Billups (2.13 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 Billups?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Billups on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.