2000
#238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 42.27
Common Last name
Bishop
An occupational surname referring to a senior member of the Christian clergy, in charge of a diocese.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128,449 Americans carry the last name Bishop. That puts it at #272 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 37.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,668 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bishop 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 Bishop with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
128K
1 in 2,668
Census rank
#272
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
37.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112,014 bearers of the surname Bishop in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 37.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 272nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bishop, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bishop
The surname Bishop is of English origin, derived from the occupational term for a Christian prelate or overseer of a diocese. The name likely emerged in the 11th or 12th century during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "biscop," which came from the Greek word "episkopos," meaning overseer.
The earliest recorded instances of the Bishop surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, individuals with the surname Bishop or similar spellings such as Bisshop or Bysshop were mentioned.
One notable early bearer of the name was John Bishop, a 13th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1262 to 1292. Another prominent figure was William Bishop, a 16th-century English composer and musician who lived from approximately 1554 to 1624.
In the 17th century, the surname Bishop was closely associated with the town of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, England. The town's name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "biscopes" (bishop's) and "stortford" (a place name derived from "storth" meaning a wood or thicket and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing).
One of the most famous individuals with the Bishop surname was George Bishop, an English-born American politician and soldier who lived from 1785 to 1861. He served as a brigadier general in the War of 1812 and later became the first Governor of the Northwestern Territory (now Ohio) in 1851.
Another notable figure was Sir Henry Rowley Bishop, an English composer and conductor who lived from 1786 to 1855. He is best known for composing the popular opera "Clari, or the Maid of Milan" and for his contribution to the development of English opera.
During the 19th century, the surname Bishop was also prominent in the literary world. Thomas Bishop, an English poet and writer, lived from 1804 to 1869 and published several notable works, including "Memoirs of an Unfortunate Son of Thespis" and "Poetical Works."
As the name Bishop originated from an occupational term, it is likely that many early bearers of the surname were members of the clergy or had close connections to the Church. Over time, the name spread beyond its original ecclesiastical associations and became a common English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bishop
Among Census respondents with the surname Bishop, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bishop 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 Bishop surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 91,074
- Black or African American10.0% · 11,163
- Two or more races4.1% · 4,558
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 3,836
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 836
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 547
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bishop
Bishop 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
#262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116,618
+2,584 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 39.53
Rank movement Down 24 places
2020
#272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112,014
-4,604 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 37.48
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #238 | 114,034 | 42.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #262 | 116,618 | 39.53 | +2,584 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 24 places |
| 2020 | #272 | 112,014 | 37.48 | -4,604 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 10 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 Bishop 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 | #262 | #272 | -3.8% |
| Count | 116,618 | 112,014 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 39.53 | 37.48 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bishop bearers went from 116,618 to 112,014 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #262 to #272.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bishop
FAQ
Bishop surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bishop?
Name Census estimates that about 128,449 living Americans carry the surname Bishop. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,668 residents.
How common is Bishop?
Bishop ranks #272 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 37.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 37 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112,014 people with the surname Bishop. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128,449), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 37.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 37.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 37 of them to have the surname Bishop.
Has Bishop become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bishop went from 116,618 recorded bearers to 112,014. That is a decrease of 4,604 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #262 to #272.
What does the Census say about the background of Bishop?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bishop, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) 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 Bishop in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (91,074 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bishop appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Black (10.0%), 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 Bishop (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 Bishop mean?
An occupational surname referring to a senior member of the Christian clergy, in charge of a diocese. 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 Bishop (37.48 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 Bishop?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Bishop on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.