How common is the surname Bester?

1,947 people in the United States had the surname Bester in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 158,575 Americans. It ranked 15,147th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bester?

Alfred Bester, American author (1913–1987).

Where is the surname Bester most common?

Wikidata records people named Bester in the United States.

Is the surname Bester getting more or less common?

More common. 1,601 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,947 in 2010, up 22%.

The surname Bester

A surname, carried by 1,947 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex B236

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bester is more common than 90.7% of them.

Origin

A surname.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 1,947 people named Bester in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 158,575 Americans. That is up 22% since 2000, when the Census counted 1,601.

#15,147

rank among US surnames

1,947

people in 2010

0.7

per 100,000 Americans

+21.6%

change since 2000 (was #16,525)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#15,140	Swofford	1,948	158,494
#15,147	Sicard	1,947	158,575
#15,151	Mondesir	1,946	158,656

Who is named Bester

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

59% of people named Bester identified as Black (not Hispanic), 37% as white (not Hispanic) and 2.1% as two or more races.

Black (not Hispanic) 59%
White (not Hispanic) 37%
Two or more races 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.3%

Compare: most common surnames among Black Americans.

Famous Besters

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Alfred Bester
American author (1913–1987)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Bester

Bester has the Soundex code B236, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B236.

Questions

How common is the surname Bester?: 1,947 people in the United States had the surname Bester in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 158,575 Americans. It ranked 15,147th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bester?: In the 2010 Census, 59% of people named Bester identified as Black (not Hispanic), and 37% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bester?: Alfred Bester, American author (1913–1987).
Where is the surname Bester most common?: Wikidata records people named Bester in the United States.
Is the surname Bester getting more or less common?: More common. 1,601 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,947 in 2010, up 22%.