Blackbeard Surname

410,325th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 851 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
South Africa
Highest density in:
Botswana

Blackbeard Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the bearded.' An early surname. Speaking of Geoffrey Martel's death, A.D. 1060, Freeman says, 'To his namesake Geoffrey, surnamed the Bearded, he left Anjou and Saintogne' (Norman Conqest); v. Withibeard.

Read More About This Surname

Blackbeard Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
South Africa6001:90,29611,068
Australia571:473,60936,415
England521:1,071,50151,923
Botswana391:56,07510,323
New Zealand321:141,51016,640
United States291:12,498,584473,286
Canada261:1,417,13898,245
Georgia21:1,872,77235,618
Germany21:40,252,730481,636
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
United Arab Emirates21:4,581,13693,443
Indonesia11:132,249,194811,426
Italy11:61,156,688199,583
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Qatar11:2,357,99976,403
Scotland11:5,353,81763,002
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
Zimbabwe11:15,438,240133,260
Ireland11:4,708,93929,543
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England371:658,79432,071

Blackbeard Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the bearded.' An early surname. Speaking of Geoffrey Martel's death, A.D. 1060, Freeman says, 'To his namesake Geoffrey, surnamed the Bearded, he left Anjou and Saintogne' (Norman Conqest); v. Withibeard.

William Cum-Barba, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Richard Cum-Baiba, Oxfordshire ibid.

Hugh cum-Barba, Bedfordshire ibid.

Adam cum-Barba, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1622-3. Gerrard van Holbrooke and Susan Beard: Marriage Lic. (London).

1645. Buried — Mr. Edward Bearde, grocer, in Cornhill: St. Michael, Cornhill.

1771. Married — Richard Beard and Ann Ginder: Canterbury Cathedral.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'with the black beard.' Middle English berd or berde; compare Brownbeard. Blackbird is an imitative form. Blackberd occurs in Yorkshire so early as 1379. It is still to be met with there in the shape of Blackbeard.

John Blacberd, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Richard Blacberd, Oxfordshire, ibid.

Johannes Blakberd, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Thomas Blackberd, Yorkshire: Deposition of Ecclesiastical Proceedings (Surtees Society).

Peter Blackbeard, Yorkshire ibid.

John Blackbird, Cumberland, 1612: VV.

1721. Baptised-Henry, son of Henry Blackbird: St. James, Clerkenwell.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

A by-name, now perhaps obsolete in Scotland. Henry Blakberde witnessed an instrument of sasine of the lands and castle of Temptalloune in 1475 (Douglas, III, p. 106), and in 1479 a process was issued against John Blakbeird (perhaps a relative (Henry) and others for holding Dunbar Castle against the king (APS., II, p. 125) Robert Blakberd was one of a jury in 1495 on the retour of the special service of George Hume of Wedderburnas heir of his father (Home, p. 27). The surname is also found in Shetland as early as 1602, and the Kirk Session records show that the name was continued in Dunrossness so late as 1777, when the death of Grizel Blackbeard, a pauper, is noted (Mill's Diary, p. lxxxix). Colin Blackbeard in Outvo, Shetland, witness, 1623 (OSS., I, 5). Blucbeird 1624. compare Brownbeahd, Redbeard, Smibert.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

When the unnatural process of shaving was unknown, as it was during a great part of the middle ages, many persons were known by sobriquets having reference to this appendage to the manly chin. Besides Beard, we have, or have had, Blackboard, Fairbeard, Longbeard, Heavybeard, and Beardman. A common form in H.R. is cum Barba, as Hugo cum-Barba, Johannes cum Barba. In Domesd. the powerful Hugh de Montfort is sometimes described as Hugo Barbatus. The name may, however, be local, from Beard, a township in Derbyshire.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

The Derbyshire Beards possess the name of a hamlet in the parish of New Mills.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Blackbeard Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Blackbeard Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Blackbeard occurs in South Africa more than any other country/territory. It can also occur in the variant forms:. For other possible spellings of this last name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Blackbeard? popularity and diffusion

The last name Blackbeard is the 410,325th most widespread last name worldwide It is held by around 1 in 8,563,509 people. The last name is primarily found in Africa, where 75 percent of Blackbeard live; 75 percent live in Southern Africa and 75 percent live in South Bantu Africa.

This surname is most widely held in South Africa, where it is held by 600 people, or 1 in 90,296. In South Africa it is most numerous in: Gauteng, where 41 percent reside, KwaZulu-Natal, where 29 percent reside and Western Cape, where 16 percent reside. Aside from South Africa this surname occurs in 18 countries. It is also common in Australia, where 7 percent reside and England, where 6 percent reside.

Blackbeard Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Blackbeard has changed over time. In England the number of people bearing the Blackbeard surname expanded 141 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Blackbeard Last Name Statistics demography

The amount Blackbeard earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 79.36% more than the national average, earning R 426,216 per year; in United States they earn 63.39% more than the national average, earning $70,500 USD per year and in Canada they earn 13.57% more than the national average, earning $56,424 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Search for Another Surname

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Blackbeard
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis