The Belt surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,737 people carried this name — #4,065 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 33,800 people counted. That is up 4% from 8,422 in 2000.

See Belt on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Belt surname

As an English and north/Low German surname, from the noun belt.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Belt» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Poland’s population register

195 people named Belt have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 210 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Kuyavian-Pomeranian.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Kuyavian-Pomeranian 169
Pomeranian 15
West Pomeranian 9
Lublin 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 35 people named Belt.

3 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Eure-et-Loir.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 3
Eure-et-Loir 15
Haut-Rhin 8
Sarthe 5
Haute-Garonne 1
Gironde 1
Moselle 1
Orne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

26 people named Belt is counted in Finland.

Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Finland (2026) 26

Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

39 families named Belt, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 230 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 30
Pennsylvania 6
Vermont 1
North Carolina 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 229 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Belt in American newspapers,
1882–1913.

Newspaper page from The Red Man carrying the name Belt
The Red Man 1889-04-01
Newspaper page from New-york Tribune carrying the name Belt
New-york Tribune 1882-07-10
Newspaper page from Evening Journal carrying the name Belt
Evening Journal 1913-09-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,131 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Belt in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

15,351 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Belt. The most, 2,205, date from the 1860s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 5,829
Victoria 3,266
New South Wales 2,675
Queensland 2,430
Western Australia 601
Tasmania 513
ACT (Canberra) 23
Northern Territory 9

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Belt.

Who carried it

People named Belt,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Belt
    Thomas Belt 1832–1878 · naturalist
  • Horatio N. Belt
    Horatio N. Belt 1842–1900 · politician
  • Edward Oliver Belt
    Edward Oliver Belt 1861–1906 · ophthalmologist
  • Francis Walter Belt
    Francis Walter Belt 1862–1938 · lawyer
  • John Belt d. 1912
  • Eugene N. Belt 1828–1901

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Belt,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States539 records

539 records of the Belt name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 254
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 127
  • Other U.S. records 158
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Arthur Lavine Belt

    Born 1949; from Prichard, Alabama. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Mobile National Cemetery, Alabama.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Albert L. Belt

    Born 1909 in Texas. Enlisted 1943 at Salinas Army Air Base, California; baker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1989, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Katharine Belt

    Arrived at Baltimore in 1881 aboard the Strassburg from Bremen, aged 26; farmer. From Prussia, Germany; bound for Baltimore.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 539 records for Belt in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands3,369 records

3,369 records of the Belt name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1,837
  • Dutch population registers 1,502
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 30
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hendrik Belt

    Married in 1877 in Hardenberg; labourer. Died 1921 in Hardenberg, aged 70; farmer.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Cornelia Belt

    Married in 1867 in Hazerswoude; domestic servant. Died 1910 in Hazerswoude, aged 72.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Alphen aan den Rijn (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joannes Belt

    Married in 1910 in Amsterdam; carpenter. Died 1971 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 88.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,369 records for Belt in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Australia79 records

79 records of the Belt name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 46
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 26
  • Other Australian records 7
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Belt

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Morley, arriving 1829; certificate of freedom 1843.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Antony Belt

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Negotiator, aged 22; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Ambrose J. Belt

    Retired of Mansfield, Victoria; died 1980.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 79 records for Belt in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada10 records

10 records of the Belt name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 4
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Other Canadian records 3
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Louisa Belt

    Buried in 1975 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 86.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Deborah Laura Belt

    Died 1934 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record James Edwin Devey Belt

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 10 records for Belt in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

France10 records

10 records of the Belt name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Germaine Blanche Alexandrine Belt

    Born 1899 in Le Mans; died 1991 in Champagné (Sarthe).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Michel Belt

    Born 1878 in Russia; died 1942 in Poland.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Rene Belt

    Born 1920 in Gaud; died 1986 in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Belt in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany6 records

6 records of the Belt name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Belt

    From Edenkofen, Pfalz. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 10 December 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 22).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Lucian Belt

    From Mülhausen i. E. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 6 June 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Paul Belt

    From Mülhausen, Elsaß. Reported missing in the Bavarian casualty list of 16 November 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Belt in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Belt name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record S. E. Belt

    Rifle Brigade. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. E. Belt

    Lincolnshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. D. Belt

    Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Belt in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Norway3 records

3 records of the Belt name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Nils Belt

    Census of 1910: Belt, Tysnes; farmer, born 1853 in Tysnes.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Gjerdine Belt

    Census of 1910: Sparresgate, Bergen; born 1874 in Tysnæs.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Belt in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Belt name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jason Richard Belt

    Died 1992, aged 22; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Belt.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Belt is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Belt volume
Scroll to Top