Explore the Family Name Bedel

The meaning of Bedel

1. English (Middlesex and Surrey): variant of Beadle, a cognate of 2 below. 2. French: occupational name from Old French bedel ‘beadle, bailiff, janitor’, also ‘soldier’ (from Late Latin pedellus, bedellus ‘messenger, servant’). This surname is also found in Germany. History: The first Bedel recorded in North America (in Canada, in 1759) was Bedel dit St. George, from Toulouse, but he left no descendants.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Bedel has seen a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Bedel ranked 34,904th in terms of popularity, rising to the rank of 34,801st by 2010, which equates to a modest growth of 0.3%. This suggests an increasing number of people identifying with the surname Bedel in the United States. The census also recorded a 6.05% rise in the count of individuals bearing this surname, from 612 in 2000 to 649 in 2010. However, it's worth noting that the proportion per 100k people decreased slightly by 4.35%.

20002010Change
Rank#34,904#34,8010.3%
Count6126496.05%
Proportion per 100k0.230.22-4.35%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bedel

As for the ethnic identity associated with the surname Bedel, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that the majority identify as White, comprising 93.95% in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 93.22% in 2010. The second most common ethnicity associated with the surname is Black, which saw a significant increase of 79.75%, going from 1.63% in 2000 to 2.93% in 2010. There was also a notable growth in those identifying as Hispanic, up by 41.84%. Meanwhile, individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander made up 1.31% in 2000 and decreased to 1.08% by 2010. Those identifying with two or more races and American Indian and Alaskan Native were represented in 2000 but not in 2010, likely due to data suppression (S) for privacy reasons.

20002010Change
White93.95%93.22%-0.78%
Black1.63%2.93%79.75%
Hispanic0.98%1.39%41.84%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.31%1.08%-17.56%
Two or More Races1.31%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.82%0%0%