How common is the surname Bess?

9,663 people in the United States had the surname Bess in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 31,951 Americans. It ranked 3,677th of 162,253 surnames.

Where is the surname Bess most common?

Wikidata records people named Bess in the United States.

Is the surname Bess getting more or less common?

More common. 9,229 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,663 in 2010, up 4.7%.

Is Bess also a first name?

Yes. Bess 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 Bess

A surname, carried by 9,663 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex B200 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). Bess is more common than 97.7% of them.

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 9,663 people named Bess in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 31,951 Americans. That is up 4.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 9,229.

#3,677

rank among US surnames

9,663

people in 2010

3.3

per 100,000 Americans

+4.7%

change since 2000 (was #3,532)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,673	Kohn	9,701	31,826
#3,674	Legg	9,671	31,925
#3,676	Harder	9,665	31,945
#3,677	Bohannon	9,663	31,951

Who is named Bess

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

59% of people named Bess identified as white (not Hispanic), 35% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 59%
Black (not Hispanic) 35%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.4%
Two or more races 2.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Besss

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Daniel Bess
American actor, born 1977

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Bess

Bess has the Soundex code B200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B200.

Questions

How common is the surname Bess?: 9,663 people in the United States had the surname Bess in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 31,951 Americans. It ranked 3,677th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bess?: In the 2010 Census, 59% of people named Bess identified as white (not Hispanic), and 35% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bess?: Daniel Bess, American actor.
Where is the surname Bess most common?: Wikidata records people named Bess in the United States.
Is the surname Bess getting more or less common?: More common. 9,229 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,663 in 2010, up 4.7%.
Is Bess also a first name?: Yes. Bess 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.