Bacon is a Norman French surname originally from Normandy and England. In early sources, it also appears as "Bachun" and "Bacun".
Its etymology is uncertain, with Charnock favoring a derivation from a diminutive of Germanic bach ("little stream, creek") and others from an eponymous seigniory in Normandy or from a corruption of Beacon. It is sometimes folk etymologized from bacon or Germanic bag ("to fight").
Notable bearers of this surname include:
Albion Fellows Bacon (1865–1933), American reformer and writerAnthony Bacon (1796–1864), British cavalry officer during the Napoleonic warsAnthony Bacon (1718–1786), English industrialistAugustus Octavius Bacon (1839–1914), American politicianBenjamin Wisner Bacon (1860–1932), American theologianBrady Bacon (born 1990), USAC National Sprint Car driver.David Bacon (disambiguation), several peopleDon Bacon, American baseball managerDon Bacon, U.S. Air Force brigadier generalEdmund Bacon (1910–2005), American urban plannerEdward Denny Bacon (1860–1938), British philatelist and curator (1913–1938) of the Royal Philatelic CollectionEdward Woolsey Bacon (1843–1887), American Congregational preacher and writerErnst Bacon (1898–1990), American composer and pianistEverett Bacon (1890–1989), American football player from Wesleyan University, in College Football Hall of FameEzekiel Bacon (1776–1870), American politicianFaith Bacon (1910 –1956), American dancer and actressFrancis Bacon (1561–1626), knighted English philosopher, statesman and authorFrancis Bacon (1909–1992), Anglo-Irish painterFrancis Thomas Bacon (1904–1992), British engineerFrank Bacon (1864–1922), American actor-playwrightFrank L. Bacon (1841-1917), American politicianGaspar G. Bacon (1886–1947), American politicianGeorge B. Bacon (1836–1876), American Congregational preacher and writerHenry Bacon (1866–1924), American architectIrving Bacon (1893–1965), American character actorJim Bacon (1950–2004), Premier of Tasmania, AustraliaJim Bacon (b. 1896), Welsh rugby union and rugby league footballerJohn Bacon (c. 1290–1346), better known as John Baconthorpe, learned English Carmelite monk related to the BaconsJohn Bacon (1738–1820), US Representative from MassachusettsJohn Bacon (1740–1799), British sculptorJohn Bacon (1777–1859), British sculptorJohn M. Bacon, nineteenth-century American generalJohn Mackenzie Bacon, FRAS (1846–1904), English astronomer, aeronaut, and lecturerJono Bacon, Ubuntu Community ManagerJ. S. Bacon (1858-1939), American politicianKenneth Bacon (1944–2009), American journalistKevin Bacon (born 1958), American film actorLeonard Bacon (1802–1881), American Congregational preacher and writerLeonard Woolsey Bacon (1830–1907), American Congregational preacher and writerLise Bacon (born 1934), Canadian politicianLloyd Bacon (1889–1955), American actorLucy Bacon (1857–1932), American artistMathew Bacon, legal writerMax Bacon, lead singer for 1980s arena rock supergroup GTRMax Bacon (b. 1941), Missouri jurist and legislatorMichael Bacon (born 1949), American musicianNathaniel Bacon of the Virginia Colony, instigator of Bacon's Rebellion in 1676Sir Nathaniel Bacon (d. 1622), lawyer and MP for Norfolk, half-brother of Francis BaconNathaniel Bacon, Jesuit, secretary of the Society of Jesus from 1674 to 1676Nathaniel Bacon (1585–1627), landowner and painter, nephew of Francis BaconNathaniel Bacon (1593–1660), a Member of Parliament representing Cambridge University and Ipswich, grandson of Nicholas BaconNicholas Bacon (1510–1579), English politician during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Lord Keeper of the Great SealSir Nicholas Bacon, 1st Baronet, of Redgrave (c. 1540–1624), his son, the first man created a baronetSir Nicholas Bacon, 1st Baronet, of Gillingham (1623–1666), English lawyerSir Nicholas Bacon, 14th Baronet (born 1953), Premier Baronet of England, lawyer, and Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth IINicholas Bacon (1622–1687), MP for Ipswich 1685–1687Nick Bacon (1945–2010), American soldier and Medal of Honor recipientOrrin Bacon (1821-1893), American politicianPeggy Bacon (1895–1987), American artist and authorReginald Bacon (1863–1952), Royal Navy admiralRichard Bacon (b. 1975), English television and radio presenterRichard Bacon, British politicianRobert Bacon (1860–1919), American diplomatRobert L. Bacon (1884–1938), American politicianRoger Bacon (1214–1295), Franciscan friar, English philosopherScott Bacon (b. 1977), Australian politician, son of Jim BaconSosie Bacon (b. 1992), American film actressThomas Rutherford Bacon (1850–1913), American Congregational preacher, writer, professor of historyWalter Rathbone Bacon (1845–1917), American tramway executiveWalter W. Bacon (1879–1962), American accountant and politician, Governor of DelawareWinchel Bacon, American politicianYehuda Bacon (born 1929), Israeli artist