2000
#102,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Bythewood
A locational surname referring to someone from the area of or near Bythewood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 165 Americans carry the last name Bythewood. That puts it at #125,089 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,077,299 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bythewood 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
165
1 in 2,077,299
Census rank
#125,089
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
144
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 144 bearers of the surname Bythewood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 125089th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bythewood, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bythewood
The surname Bythewood is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from a combination of the Old English words "byth" meaning "house" and "wudu" meaning "wood." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a house near or within a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Leicestershire Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which mentions a Thomas de Bythewod. The "de" prefix indicates the name was originally a locative surname, referring to the place of origin or residence.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings such as Bythwode, Bythwod, and Bythwood, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
A notable figure with the surname Bythewood was John Bythewood, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Nottinghamshire in the late 15th century. He is recorded as having acquired several properties and estates through his successful business ventures.
During the 16th century, the name Bythewood can be found in records from the counties of Staffordshire and Warwickshire. One notable individual from this period was William Bythewood, born around 1550 in Stafford, who served as a member of the local gentry and held land in the area.
In the 17th century, the surname Bythewood spread to other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lancashire. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1673 list a Thomas Bythewood as a resident of the village of Adwick-le-Street in Yorkshire.
Another notable individual with this surname was Elizabeth Bythewood, born in 1642 in Warwickshire. She was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a benefactor, donating funds for the construction of a church and a school in her hometown.
As the centuries progressed, the spelling of the surname became more standardized as Bythewood, and it continued to be found in various regions of England, particularly in the Midlands and the North.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bythewood
Among Census respondents with the surname Bythewood, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bythewood 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 Bythewood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.8% · 76
- Black or African American33.3% · 48
- Two or more races6.9% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bythewood
Bythewood 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
#101,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
+15 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 954 places
2020
#125,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
-33 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 23,352 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,691 | 162 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #101,737 | 177 | 0.06 | +15 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 954 places |
| 2020 | #125,089 | 144 | 0.05 | -33 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 23,352 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 Bythewood 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 | #101,737 | #125,089 | -23.0% |
| Count | 177 | 144 | -18.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bythewood bearers went from 177 to 144 (-18.6% change). The surname moved down 23,352 positions in the national ranking, going from #101,737 to #125,089.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bythewood
FAQ
Bythewood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bythewood?
Name Census estimates that about 165 living Americans carry the surname Bythewood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,077,299 residents.
How common is Bythewood?
Bythewood ranks #125,089 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 144 people with the surname Bythewood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Bythewood.
Has Bythewood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bythewood went from 177 recorded bearers to 144. That is a decrease of 33 (-18.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #101,737 to #125,089.
What does the Census say about the background of Bythewood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bythewood, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Bythewood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.8% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bythewood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.8%), Black (33.3%), Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Bythewood (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 Bythewood mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the area of or near Bythewood. 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 Bythewood (0.05 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 have the last name Bythewood?
Find out how common the surname Bythewood is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.