2000
#94,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Babij
A surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "woman" or "elderly woman".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 208 Americans carry the last name Babij. That puts it at #105,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,647,857 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Babij 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
208
1 in 1,647,857
Census rank
#105,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
181
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 181 bearers of the surname Babij in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 105198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Babij, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Babij
The surname BABIJ is of Polish origin, dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "baba," which means "grandmother" or "old woman." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a matriarch or elderly female relative within a family or community.
The earliest recorded instances of the BABIJ surname can be found in historical records from the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland, which were part of the Kingdom of Poland during the medieval period. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Babicz" and "Babyj," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography.
One of the earliest known individuals with the BABIJ surname was Jan Babij, a landowner from the village of Babice near Krakow, who was mentioned in a land registry document from 1462. Another notable figure was Katarzyna Babij, a prominent merchant from the city of Wrocław (then known as Breslau), whose name is recorded in the municipal archives from the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the BABIJ name gained prominence with the birth of Jakub Babij (1602-1672), a Polish nobleman and military commander who served in the armies of King Władysław IV Vasa. Jakub Babij was awarded lands in the region of Podolia for his valiant service during the Polish-Ottoman Wars.
During the 18th century, the BABIJ surname appeared in historical records from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was in a personal union with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable figure from this era was Franciszek Babij (1745-1819), a scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of the Lithuanian language.
In the 19th century, the BABIJ surname gained prominence in the field of literature with the birth of Józef Babij (1816-1892), a renowned Polish poet and writer. His works, which often explored themes of rural life and the struggles of the peasantry, earned him widespread acclaim and a place in the canon of Polish literature.
Throughout its history, the BABIJ surname has been associated with various place names, including the villages of Babice, Babiak, and Babiny, which are scattered across different regions of Poland. These place names likely originated from the same root word as the surname, further reinforcing its connection to the concept of an elderly woman or matriarch.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Babij
Among Census respondents with the surname Babij, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Babij 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 Babij surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 14
- Black or African American2.2% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Babij
Babij 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
#100,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,075 places
2020
#105,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181
+1 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 4,896 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #94,227 | 180 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #100,302 | 180 | 0.06 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 6,075 places |
| 2020 | #105,198 | 181 | 0.06 | +1 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 4,896 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 Babij 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 | #100,302 | #105,198 | -4.9% |
| Count | 180 | 181 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Babij bearers went from 180 to 181 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 4,896 positions in the national ranking, going from #100,302 to #105,198.
FAQ
Babij surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Babij?
Name Census estimates that about 208 living Americans carry the surname Babij. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,647,857 residents.
How common is Babij?
Babij ranks #105,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 181 people with the surname Babij. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (208), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Babij.
Has Babij become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Babij went from 180 recorded bearers to 181. That is an increase of 1 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #100,302 to #105,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Babij?
Among Census respondents with the surname Babij, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Babij in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Babij appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Hispanic (7.7%), Black (2.2%). 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 Babij (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 Babij mean?
A surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "woman" or "elderly woman". 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 Babij (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Babij?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.