2000
#46,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 426
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Rare Last name
Baby
An English surname derived from the diminutive form of the masculine given name "Babe".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,180 Americans carry the last name Baby. That puts it at #14,939 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baby 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Baby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,227
Census rank
#14,939
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,901 bearers of the surname Baby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14939th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baby, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 34.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.1%) and Hispanic (17.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baby
The surname "Baby" is an English occupational name derived from the Old French word "babi", which means "to babble or murmur like a baby". It is believed to have originated in England during the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, England, dated 1327, where a "Johannes le Babye" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time and possibly earlier.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Feet of Fines for Surrey in 1558, where a "Thomas Baby" is listed. Another notable mention is in the Hearth Tax Returns for Middlesex in 1664, which includes a "John Baby".
During the 17th century, the surname became more widespread across England, with records showing variations in spelling such as "Babie", "Babey", and "Babbie". One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling "Baby" can be found in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's, Lambeth, London, where a "Mary Baby" was baptized in 1636.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname "Baby". One of the earliest was Sir John Baby, a British Army officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and later became the first Lieutenant Governor of Windsor, Ontario, Canada (1793-1796).
Another prominent figure was Francis Baby, a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer born in Detroit, Michigan in 1769. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes and settlements in the Great Lakes region during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the field of literature, the name is associated with British author and playwright Edith Baby (1872-1953), known for her novels and short stories set in the English countryside.
The Baby surname also has connections to the world of sports. James Baby (1857-1928) was a Scottish professional golfer who won the Open Championship in 1892, while Robert Baby (1891-1957) was an English cricketer who played for Surrey and England in the early 20th century.
Furthermore, the name has been linked to various place names, such as Baby Castle in Lincolnshire, England, and Baby Hill in Oxfordshire, suggesting possible connections to ancestral landholdings or residences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baby
Among Census respondents with the surname Baby, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 34.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.1%) and Hispanic (17.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Baby 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 Baby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander34.5% · 655
- White29.1% · 553
- Hispanic or Latino17.6% · 334
- Black or African American16.0% · 305
- Two or more races2.3% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baby
Baby 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
#36,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 614
+188 bearers (+44.1%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 10,518 places
2020
#14,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,901
+1,287 bearers (+209.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 21,487 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,944 | 426 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,426 | 614 | 0.21 | +188 bearers (+44.1%) | Up 10,518 places |
| 2020 | #14,939 | 1,901 | 0.64 | +1,287 bearers (+209.6%) | Up 21,487 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 Baby 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 | #36,426 | #14,939 | 59.0% |
| Count | 614 | 1,901 | 209.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.64 | 202.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baby bearers went from 614 to 1,901 (+209.6% change). The surname moved up 21,487 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,426 to #14,939.
FAQ
Baby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baby?
Name Census estimates that about 2,180 living Americans carry the surname Baby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,227 residents.
How common is Baby?
Baby ranks #14,939 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,901 people with the surname Baby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,180), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Baby.
Has Baby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baby went from 614 recorded bearers to 1,901. That is an increase of 1,287 (+209.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,426 to #14,939.
What does the Census say about the background of Baby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baby, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 34.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.1%) and Hispanic (17.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Baby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.5% (655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.5%), White (29.1%), Hispanic (17.6%). 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 Baby (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 Baby mean?
An English surname derived from the diminutive form of the masculine given name "Babe". 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 Baby (0.64 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 surname Baby?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.