2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bachant
A variant of the French surname Bachant, derived from the Middle French bachant meaning "gaping" or "yawning".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Bachant. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bachant 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Bachant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bachant, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bachant
The surname "BACHANT" is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period, specifically in the region of Normandy. It is likely derived from the Old French word "bachant," which referred to a person who was associated with woodlands or forests, possibly a forester or a woodcutter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a individual named "Radulfus le Bachant" who held lands in the county of Somerset.
In the 13th century, records from the Duchy of Normandy mention a "Robert Bachant" who served as a squire for a nobleman. This suggests that the name had gained some prominence in the region by that time.
During the 14th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, with records indicating individuals bearing the surname "Bachant" in regions such as the Netherlands and Germany. For instance, a "Johannes Bachant" is listed in a registry of citizens in the city of Cologne, Germany, in 1372.
One notable person with the surname "BACHANT" was Sir William Bachant, a English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born in 1415 and died in 1483.
In the 16th century, the name "BACHANT" can be found in various records across Europe, including in England, where a "Thomas Bachant" was recorded as a landowner in the county of Devon in 1542.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Jacques Bachant, a French mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1592 to 1670. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris.
During the 17th century, the surname "BACHANT" also appeared in colonial records from North America, with individuals bearing this name among the early settlers in regions such as Virginia and Massachusetts.
One notable figure from this period was John Bachant, a Puritan minister who was born in England in 1621 and later emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he served as a pastor in the town of Salem.
In the 18th century, the name "BACHANT" continued to be present in various regions, including France, where a "Pierre Bachant" was a notable physician and author of medical texts in the city of Montpellier during the late 1700s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bachant
Among Census respondents with the surname Bachant, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bachant 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 Bachant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bachant
Bachant 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+8 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,760 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 1,760 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,132 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 Bachant 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 | #131,379 | #143,511 | -9.2% |
| Count | 129 | 118 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bachant bearers went from 129 to 118 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #143,511.
FAQ
Bachant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bachant?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Bachant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Bachant?
Bachant ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Bachant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bachant.
Has Bachant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bachant went from 129 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Bachant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bachant, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) 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 Bachant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bachant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (6.8%), 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 Bachant (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 Bachant mean?
A variant of the French surname Bachant, derived from the Middle French bachant meaning "gaping" or "yawning". 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 Bachant (0.04 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 Bachant?
Want to know how many people have the last name Bachant? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.