2000
#11,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,438
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Backes
A German occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who bakes bread.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,806 Americans carry the last name Backes. That puts it at #12,157 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Backes 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
2.8K
1 in 122,151
Census rank
#12,157
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,447 bearers of the surname Backes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12157th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Backes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Backes
The surname Backes is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic word "bach," which means "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a small body of water or a location with a similar name.
The earliest known record of the Backes surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. During this period, the name appeared in various medieval documents and records, often spelled as "Backes" or "Baches." One notable mention is in the town of Bacherach, which means "brook village," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its watery origins.
In the 14th century, the Backes name can be found in the historical records of the city of Cologne, Germany. This suggests that the family had spread to other parts of the region by this time. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Johannes Backes, who was a merchant in Cologne in the late 1300s.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Backus," "Bax," and "Bache." These variations can be traced back to different regional dialects and linguistic influences. For instance, the "Backus" spelling is more common in the Netherlands and parts of northern Germany.
One notable figure with the Backes surname was Johann Backes, a German Catholic priest and writer who lived from 1567 to 1638. He authored several religious texts and was renowned for his scholarly work. Another individual of historical significance was Johann Jakob Backes, born in 1780, who was a prominent German lawyer and politician during the early 19th century.
In the arts, the name Backes is associated with the German painter and printmaker Johann Backes, who lived from 1794 to 1873. His works are celebrated for their intricate details and realistic depictions of landscapes and everyday life.
Moving forward in time, a notable figure was Otto Backes, a German military officer who served in World War I. He was born in 1871 and played a significant role in the Battle of Verdun, one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war.
While the Backes surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German regions, where it was closely tied to geographical features and locations near streams or brooks.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Backes
Among Census respondents with the surname Backes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Backes 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 Backes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 2,315
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 58
- Two or more races2.3% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Backes
Backes 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
#12,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,421
-17 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 979 places
2020
#12,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,447
+26 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,766 | 2,438 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,745 | 2,421 | 0.82 | -17 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 979 places |
| 2020 | #12,157 | 2,447 | 0.82 | +26 bearers (+1.1%) | Up 588 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 Backes 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 | #12,745 | #12,157 | 4.6% |
| Count | 2,421 | 2,447 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.82 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Backes bearers went from 2,421 to 2,447 (+1.1% change). The surname moved up 588 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,745 to #12,157.
FAQ
Backes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Backes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,806 living Americans carry the surname Backes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,151 residents.
How common is Backes?
Backes ranks #12,157 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,447 people with the surname Backes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Backes.
Has Backes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Backes went from 2,421 recorded bearers to 2,447. That is an increase of 26 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,745 to #12,157.
What does the Census say about the background of Backes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Backes, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Backes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (2,315 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Backes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Backes (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 Backes mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who bakes bread. 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 Backes (0.82 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 Backes?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Backes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.