2000
#5,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,584
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.07
Rare Last name
Bagby
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Babba's settlement" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,927 Americans carry the last name Bagby. That puts it at #6,327 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bagby 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 Bagby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,829
Census rank
#6,327
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,169 bearers of the surname Bagby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6327th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bagby, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bagby
The surname Bagby is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bæc" meaning "ridge" or "hill" and "byg" meaning "dwelling" or "settlement." The combination of these words suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or on a ridge or hill.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bagby can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable mention is in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1279, where a person named William Bagby is listed as a landowner. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 13th century, indicating the presence of individuals with this surname in different parts of England during that time.
In terms of place names, the village of Bagby in North Yorkshire, England, is believed to have been named after the surname, rather than the other way around. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the name "Bagebi," which further supports the antiquity of the surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bagby was Sir Ralph Bagby, a prominent English knight who lived in the late 13th century and was a participant in the Welsh Wars under King Edward I. Another notable figure was John Bagby, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Norfolk, who was born around 1420 and played a significant role in the local affairs of his time.
During the Tudor period, the Bagby family gained prominence in Leicestershire, with William Bagby (1510-1575) serving as a Member of Parliament for the county. In the 17th century, Richard Bagby (1635-1700) was a respected Anglican clergyman and author, known for his religious writings.
Another individual of note was Sir Edward Bagby (1770-1848), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. He was knighted for his distinguished service and bravery in several battles against the French.
Throughout history, the surname Bagby has been spelled in various ways, including Bagbie, Bagbey, and Bagbie, reflecting the variations in spelling conventions during different eras. Despite these variations, the name has retained its distinctive English origins and association with the concept of a ridge or hill dwelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bagby
Among Census respondents with the surname Bagby, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bagby 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 Bagby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.6% · 3,391
- Black or African American23.1% · 1,196
- Two or more races6.0% · 312
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 211
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bagby
Bagby 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
#6,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,542
-42 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 478 places
2020
#6,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,169
-373 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,696 | 5,584 | 2.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,174 | 5,542 | 1.88 | -42 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 478 places |
| 2020 | #6,327 | 5,169 | 1.73 | -373 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 153 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 Bagby 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 | #6,174 | #6,327 | -2.5% |
| Count | 5,542 | 5,169 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.88 | 1.73 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bagby bearers went from 5,542 to 5,169 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,174 to #6,327.
FAQ
Bagby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bagby?
Name Census estimates that about 5,927 living Americans carry the surname Bagby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,829 residents.
How common is Bagby?
Bagby ranks #6,327 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,169 people with the surname Bagby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,927), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bagby.
Has Bagby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bagby went from 5,542 recorded bearers to 5,169. That is a decrease of 373 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,174 to #6,327.
What does the Census say about the background of Bagby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bagby, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.1%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bagby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.6% (3,391 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bagby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.6%), Black (23.1%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Bagby (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 Bagby mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Babba's settlement" in Old English. 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 Bagby (1.73 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 Bagby?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Bagby at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.