Explore the Family Name Bille

The meaning of Bille

1. Danish: from the Old Norse personal name Bille meaning ‘axe, hatchet’. 2. German (mainly North Rhine-Westphalia) and Danish (of German origin): nickname for someone with a conspicuous bottom, from Middle Low German bille ‘buttock’. 3. French, Walloon, and Flemish: from Old French bille ‘block, piece of tree trunk; stick, plank’ (a word of Gaulish origin), probably used as a metonymic occupational name for a sawyer or a carpenter, joiner.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Bille experienced a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname fell from 40,083 to 43,811, marking a 9.3% decline. Simultaneously, the count of individuals with this surname also dipped by 4.47%, going from 515 in 2000 to 492 in 2010. This change resulted in the proportion of Billes per 100,000 people dropping by 10.53%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#40,083	#43,811	-9.3%
Count	515	492	-4.47%
Proportion per 100k	0.19	0.17	-10.53%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bille

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Bille, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts over the decade. In 2000, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, comprising 89.71%. By 2010, although still the dominant ethnicity, this percentage decreased slightly to 86.18%. During the same period, there was a notable increase in those identifying as Hispanic and Black, up by 69.44% and 60.99% respectively. There was no representation for Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, and American Indian and Alaskan Native in either 2000 or 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	89.71%	86.18%	-3.93%
Black	5.05%	8.13%	60.99%
Hispanic	2.52%	4.27%	69.44%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.17%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%