2000
#1,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,769
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.07
Uncommon Last name
Babcock
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a cook or baker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,003 Americans carry the last name Babcock. That puts it at #1,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,280 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Babcock surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,280
Census rank
#1,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,932 bearers of the surname Babcock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Babcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Babcock
The surname Babcock is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "bab" meaning "child" and "cocc" meaning "dweller". It was initially a descriptive name given to a child living in a certain area or village. Historically, the name first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Babecoc" in Somerset, England.
During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily found in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Devon in South West England. Variations in spelling included Babcok, Babcoke, and Babcoke. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Walter Babcok, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191.
In the 13th century, the surname Babcock began appearing in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a John Babcok is mentioned. The name also appeared in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327, with an entry for a Richard Babcok.
Notable individuals with the surname Babcock throughout history include:
1. William Babcock (c.1435-1504), an English merchant and alderman of Bristol, who served as Mayor of Bristol in 1484 and 1496.
2. James Babcock (1570-1624), an English colonist and one of the founders of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.
3. Rowland Babcock (1608-1672), an early settler of Westerly, Rhode Island, and a member of the General Court of Connecticut.
4. Nehemiah Babcock (1725-1799), an American soldier who served in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
5. Orville Elias Babcock (1835-1884), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and later served as Secretary to President Ulysses S. Grant.
The name Babcock has also been associated with various place names, such as Babcok Cove in Rhode Island and Babcock Creek in Pennsylvania, reflecting the historical presence of individuals bearing this surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Babcock
Among Census respondents with the surname Babcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Babcock bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Babcock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 19,033
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 790
- Two or more races3.4% · 715
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 154
- Black or African American0.7% · 148
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Babcock
Babcock appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,016
+247 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 7.46
Rank movement Down 130 places
2020
#1,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,932
-1,084 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 7.00
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,508 | 21,769 | 8.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,638 | 22,016 | 7.46 | +247 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 130 places |
| 2020 | #1,682 | 20,932 | 7.00 | -1,084 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 44 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Babcock surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,638 | #1,682 | -2.7% |
| Count | 22,016 | 20,932 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 7.46 | 7.00 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Babcock bearers went from 22,016 to 20,932 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,638 to #1,682.
FAQ
Babcock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Babcock?
Name Census estimates that about 24,003 living Americans carry the surname Babcock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,280 residents.
How common is Babcock?
Babcock ranks #1,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,932 people with the surname Babcock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Babcock.
Has Babcock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Babcock went from 22,016 recorded bearers to 20,932. That is a decrease of 1,084 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,638 to #1,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Babcock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Babcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Babcock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (19,033 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Babcock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Babcock (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Babcock mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a cook or baker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Babcock (7.00 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Babcock?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Babcock on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.