2000
#11,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Bacchus
An English surname derived from the name of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, winemaking, fertility, and theater.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,835 Americans carry the last name Bacchus. That puts it at #9,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,375 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bacchus 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 Bacchus with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,375
Census rank
#9,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,344 bearers of the surname Bacchus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacchus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (22.8%) and White (19.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bacchus
The surname Bacchus originates from ancient Greece, derived from the name of the god of wine, fertility, and ritual madness, known as Bacchus in Roman mythology and Dionysus in Greek mythology. The name is believed to have been adopted as a surname during the Middle Ages, possibly by individuals associated with wine-making or vineyards.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Bacchus can be traced back to 13th century England, where it appeared in various forms such as Bacche, Bachee, and Bache. These early spellings indicate the surname's Greek roots and its association with the god Dionysus/Bacchus.
One notable historical reference to the surname Bacchus comes from the 14th century work "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer, where a character named Bacchus appears as a representation of the god of wine and revelry.
In the 16th century, the surname Bacchus was found in various English records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1523, where a Richard Bacchus was listed. Around the same time, a John Bacchus was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1545.
Prominent individuals with the surname Bacchus include William Bacchus (1559-1639), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Another notable figure was Roger Bacchus (1580-1644), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, John Bacchus (1704-1786) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several important battles during the Seven Years' War. Towards the end of the same century, Sir Edmund Bacchus (1757-1828) was a British naval officer who served as a captain during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
One of the most celebrated individuals with the surname Bacchus was James Bacchus (1813-1887), a British-born Australian explorer and surveyor. He played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of Western Australia, and several geographical features, including the Bacchus Marsh region, were named after him.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bacchus
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacchus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (22.8%) and White (19.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bacchus 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 Bacchus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American44.6% · 1,490
- Asian and Pacific Islander22.8% · 762
- White19.0% · 634
- Two or more races7.5% · 250
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 151
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bacchus
Bacchus 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
#9,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,325
+763 bearers (+29.8%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 1,570 places
2020
#9,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,344
+19 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,317 | 2,562 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,747 | 3,325 | 1.13 | +763 bearers (+29.8%) | Up 1,570 places |
| 2020 | #9,339 | 3,344 | 1.12 | +19 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 408 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 Bacchus 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 | #9,747 | #9,339 | 4.2% |
| Count | 3,325 | 3,344 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.12 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bacchus bearers went from 3,325 to 3,344 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 408 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,747 to #9,339.
FAQ
Bacchus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bacchus?
Name Census estimates that about 3,835 living Americans carry the surname Bacchus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,375 residents.
How common is Bacchus?
Bacchus ranks #9,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,344 people with the surname Bacchus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Bacchus.
Has Bacchus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bacchus went from 3,325 recorded bearers to 3,344. That is an increase of 19 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,747 to #9,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Bacchus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacchus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (22.8%) and White (19.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bacchus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.6% (1,490 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bacchus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (44.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (22.8%), White (19.0%). 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 Bacchus (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 Bacchus mean?
An English surname derived from the name of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, winemaking, fertility, and theater. 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 Bacchus (1.12 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 common is the surname Bacchus?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Bacchus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.