Explore the Family Name Bech

The meaning of Bech

1. Danish and Norwegian: habitational name from a place called with Old Norse bekkr ‘stream, brook’, denoting a farm by a stream. 2. German: metonymic occupational name for a pitch gatherer and/or tar maker, from Middle High German pech ‘pitch, tar’ (see Pech). 3. English: variant of Beech. 4. In some cases possibly also French: variant of Bec ‘beak’. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Knud, Vidar. German Claus, Fritz, Inge, Klaus.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Bech in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Bech" saw a decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Bech ranked 66,878 in popularity with 276 people having this surname, equivalent to 0.1 per 100k people. However, by 2010, the rank had fallen to 82,908 and the count reduced to 227, indicating a decline of approximately 23.97% in rank and 17.75% in count. This corresponded to a decrease in the proportion per 100k people to 0.08, marking a drop of 20%.

20002010Change
Rank#66,878#82,908-23.97%
Count276227-17.75%
Proportion per 100k0.10.08-20%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bech

The Decennial U.S. Census also provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Bech. Between 2000 and 2010, there were shifts observed in the ethnicity of individuals carrying this surname. The percentage identifying as White decreased slightly from 89.13% to 85.90%. There was a significant increase in those identifying as Hispanic, with the figure rising from 4.71% to 10.57%, an impressive change of 124.42%. Those identifying as two or more races or Black saw a decrease to zero by 2010, while the percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained at zero throughout both years.

20002010Change
White89.13%85.9%-3.62%
Hispanic4.71%10.57%124.42%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races1.81%0%0%
Black3.62%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%