2000
#12,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,322
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Bade
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a bay or harbor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,705 Americans carry the last name Bade. That puts it at #12,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bade 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 Bade with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,711
Census rank
#12,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,359 bearers of the surname Bade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bade, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bade
The surname Bade has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "bade," which means "bath" or "bathing." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked in bathhouses or lived near natural hot springs or spas.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Bade, Baaden, and Bäden, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where a certain Hans Bade was mentioned in 1562.
The Bade surname also has ties to several place names in Germany, such as Baden-Baden, a famous spa town in the Black Forest region. It is possible that some families adopted the name Bade after migrating from or residing in these areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Bade surname. One such figure was Johann Joachim Bade (1637-1708), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Jena. Another was Karl Bade (1809-1884), a German theologian and philosopher who played a significant role in the development of German idealism.
In the realm of literature, Johann Bade (1475-1545) was a prominent German printer and publisher during the Renaissance period. He established a printing press in Paris and is known for publishing works by renowned authors such as Erasmus and Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples.
Another figure of note was Friedrich Bade (1871-1936), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Haus der Reichspost and the Philharmonie concert hall.
Lastly, Erich Bade (1897-1944) was a German resistance fighter during World War II. He was executed by the Nazis for his involvement in the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler in July 1944, known as the 20 July plot.
While the Bade surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its rich history and origins remain deeply rooted in the German cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bade
Among Census respondents with the surname Bade, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bade 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 Bade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 1,924
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.8% · 232
- Black or African American3.2% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 67
- Two or more races2.1% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bade
Bade 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
#12,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,487
+165 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#12,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
-128 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,282 | 2,322 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,482 | 2,487 | 0.84 | +165 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #12,540 | 2,359 | 0.79 | -128 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 58 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 Bade 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 | #12,482 | #12,540 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,487 | 2,359 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.79 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bade bearers went from 2,487 to 2,359 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,482 to #12,540.
FAQ
Bade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bade?
Name Census estimates that about 2,705 living Americans carry the surname Bade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,711 residents.
How common is Bade?
Bade ranks #12,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,359 people with the surname Bade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,705), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Bade.
Has Bade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bade went from 2,487 recorded bearers to 2,359. That is a decrease of 128 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,482 to #12,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Bade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bade, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Bade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (1,924 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%), Black (3.2%). 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 Bade (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 Bade mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a bay or harbor. 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 Bade (0.79 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 Bade?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.