Explore the Family Name Bessel

The meaning of Bessel

1. German: possibly a habitational or topographic from the name of a place or river. 2. English (Gloucestershire): variant of Bessell. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Otto.

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

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

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Bessel decreased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Bessel ranked as the 71,372nd most popular surname, with a count of 255 individuals carrying this name. By 2010, however, the rank had dropped to 89,753, accounting for only 206 individuals with the Bessel surname. This represents a percentage change of -25.75 in rank and -19.22 in count over the decade. The proportion of the Bessel surname per 100k people also dropped from 0.09 in 2000 to 0.07 in 2010, marking a decrease of 22.22%.

20002010Change
Rank#71,372#89,753-25.75%
Count255206-19.22%
Proportion per 100k0.090.07-22.22%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bessel

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the Bessel surname, Decennial U.S. Census data shows that it is predominantly tied to individuals identifying as White. In 2000, an overwhelming 99.61% of those bearing the Bessel surname identified as White, a figure that slightly decreased to 97.57% by 2010. Other ethnicities, such as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native, did not significantly associate with the Bessel surname in either year. It's significant to note that no changes were observed in these categories between 2000 and 2010.

20002010Change
White99.61%97.57%-2.05%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%