How common is the surname Bishop?

116,618 people in the United States had the surname Bishop in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,647 Americans. It ranked 262nd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bishop?

Elizabeth Bishop, American poet (1911–1979), followed by J. Michael Bishop.

Where is the surname Bishop most common?

Wikidata records people named Bishop in the United States, Australia and Canada and 3 other countries.

How do you pronounce Bishop?

Bishop is /ˈbɪʃəp/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Bishop getting more or less common?

More common. 114,034 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 116,618 in 2010, up 2.3%.

Is Bishop also a first name?

Yes. Bishop 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 Bishop

An occupational surname, carried by 116,618 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈbɪʃəp/ 2 syllables Soundex B210 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). Bishop is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

From bishop.

Bishop is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 116,618 people named Bishop in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,647 Americans. That is up 2.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 114,034.

#262

rank among US surnames

116,618

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.3%

change since 2000 (was #238)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#253	Austin	119,706	2,579
#254	Dominguez	119,304	2,588
#255	Carr	119,076	2,593
#256	Lawson	119,053	2,593
#257	Jacobs	118,614	2,603
#258	O'Brien	118,557	2,604
#259	Lynch	117,708	2,623

Who is named Bishop

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

84% of people named Bishop identified as white (not Hispanic), 10% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 84%
Black (not Hispanic) 10%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 1.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bishops

44 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Elizabeth Bishop
American poet (1911–1979)
J. Michael Bishop
American immunologist and microbiologist who specialized in cancer research, 1936–2026
Kelly Bishop
American actress, born 1944
Julie Bishop
Australian politician, born 1956
Joey Bishop
American entertainer (1918–2007)
Elvin Bishop
American musician, born 1942
Ann Bishop
British biologist, 1899–1990
Julie Bishop
American actress (1914–2001)
Abby Bishop
Australian basketball player (born 1988)
Ralph Bishop
Basketball player (1915–1974)
Michael Bishop
American writer (1945–2023)
Nic Bishop
Australian actor, born 1973

Notable Bishops come mostly from the United States (34), Australia (6) and Canada (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Bishopp

Surnames that sound like Bishop

Bishop has the Soundex code B210, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B210.

Questions

Where does the surname Bishop come from?: From bishop.
How common is the surname Bishop?: 116,618 people in the United States had the surname Bishop in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,647 Americans. It ranked 262nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bishop?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Bishop identified as white (not Hispanic), and 10% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bishop?: Elizabeth Bishop, American poet (1911–1979), followed by J. Michael Bishop.
Where is the surname Bishop most common?: Wikidata records people named Bishop in the United States, Australia and Canada and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Bishop?: Bishop is /ˈbɪʃəp/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Bishop?: Bishop is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Bishop getting more or less common?: More common. 114,034 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 116,618 in 2010, up 2.3%.
What are other spellings of Bishop?: Bishopp.
Is Bishop also a first name?: Yes. Bishop 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.