Explore the Family Name Been
The meaning of Been
1. Dutch: nickname from been ‘leg’, probably denoting a cripple. 2. Dutch: occupational name for a butcher, either metonymic from been ‘bone’ or shortened from beenhouwer ‘butcher’. 3. Dutch: from a short form of any of various ancient Germanic personal names beginning with the element Bern- ‘bear’, as for example Bernhard. 4. English: variant of Bean.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Been in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Been' experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. The overall count of individuals with the Been surname fell by 3.63%, from 1131 to 1090. Concurrently, its rank dropped by 8.49% moving from 21526th most popular in 2000 to 23354th in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased by 11.9% over this decade, from 0.42 to 0.37.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,526 | #23,354 | -8.49% |
| Count | 1,131 | 1,090 | -3.63% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.42 | 0.37 | -11.9% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Been
The ethnic identity associated with the Been surname has seen some shifts over the same time frame, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. While the majority of Been's identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, that percentage dropped slightly from 84.53% to 80.37%. A significant growth was observed in the Black category, increasing by 33.67% to reach 10.64% in 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or Hispanic also rose modestly. However, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native dropped slightly by 4.52%. The most notable increase was seen in those identifying with two or more races, which rose from 2.65% to 4.04%, marking a 52.45% growth.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84.53% | 80.37% | -4.92% |
| Black | 7.96% | 10.64% | 33.67% |
| Two or More Races | 2.65% | 4.04% | 52.45% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.21% | 2.11% | -4.52% |
| Hispanic | 1.86% | 1.93% | 3.76% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.8% | 0.92% | 15% |