How common is the surname Bell?

220,599 people in the United States had the surname Bell in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,400 Americans. It ranked 106th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bell?

Kristen Bell, American actress, followed by Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

Where is the surname Bell most common?

Wikidata records people named Bell in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 3 other countries.

Is the surname Bell getting more or less common?

Less common. 264,752 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 220,599 in 2010, down 17%.

Is Bell also a first name?

Yes. Bell is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Bell

A surname, carried by 220,599 people in the United States.

Pronounced /bɛl/ 1 syllable Soundex B400 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bell is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

A surname of Scottish and northern English origin for a bell ringer, bellmaker, or from someone who lived "at the Bell (inn)."

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 220,599 people named Bell in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,400 Americans. That is down 17% since 2000, when the Census counted 264,752.

#106

rank among US surnames

220,599

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

-16.7%

change since 2000 (was #67)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#97	Long	229,374	1,346
#98	Ross	229,368	1,346
#99	Foster	227,764	1,356
#100	Jimenez	227,118	1,359
#101	Powell	224,874	1,373
#102	Jenkins	222,653	1,387
#103	Perry	221,741	1,392

Who is named Bell

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

61% of people named Bell identified as white (not Hispanic), 32% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 61%
Black (not Hispanic) 32%
Two or more races 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bells

119 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Kristen Bell
American actress, born 1980
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
British astrophysicist (born 1943)
Tobin Bell
American actor (born 1942)
Lake Bell
American actress, director and screenwriter (born 1979)
Daniel Bell
American sociologist (1919–2011)
Catherine Bell
British actress (born 1968)
Drake Bell
American actor (born 1986)
Joshua Bell
American violinist (born 1967)
Lexi Belle
American pornographic actress, born 1987
Jillian Bell
American actress and comedian, born 1984
Clive Bell
British art critic (1881–1964)
Greg Bell
American long jumper (1930–2025)

Notable Bells come mostly from the United States (90), the United Kingdom (10) and Australia (8).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Bell

Bell has the Soundex code B400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B400.

Questions

How common is the surname Bell?: 220,599 people in the United States had the surname Bell in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,400 Americans. It ranked 106th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bell?: In the 2010 Census, 61% of people named Bell identified as white (not Hispanic), and 32% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bell?: Kristen Bell, American actress, followed by Jocelyn Bell Burnell.
Where is the surname Bell most common?: Wikidata records people named Bell in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Bell?: Bell is /bɛl/, one syllable.
Is the surname Bell getting more or less common?: Less common. 264,752 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 220,599 in 2010, down 17%.
Is Bell also a first name?: Yes. Bell is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.