2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Baggenstos
A Swiss surname derived from a place name, referring to someone from the town of Baggesstorf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Baggenstos. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baggenstos 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Baggenstos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baggenstos, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baggenstos
The surname Baggenstos is believed to have originated in Switzerland, specifically in the German-speaking region of the country. It is thought to be derived from the Swiss-German word "Bäggi," which means "baker" or "breadmaker." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to individuals or families involved in baking or the production of bread.
The earliest known recorded instances of the name Baggenstos date back to the 16th century in various Swiss records and documents. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Hans Baggenstos, who was born in the town of Zofingen in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland, around 1550.
In the following centuries, the Baggenstos name can be found in various Swiss records, such as church registers, tax rolls, and legal documents. The name appeared to be concentrated in the regions of Aargau, Basel, and Bern, with several variations in spelling, including Bäggenstos, Bägenstos, and Bägenstoß.
One notable individual with the surname Baggenstos was Johann Jakob Baggenstos (1700-1784), a Swiss merchant and politician from the town of Aarau. He served as a member of the governing council of the city and played an influential role in local affairs during the mid-18th century.
Another prominent figure was Johann Rudolf Baggenstos (1823-1899), a Swiss engineer and industrialist. He was born in Aarau and later became the co-founder of the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, a major Swiss engineering and manufacturing company.
In the 19th century, some individuals with the Baggenstos surname emigrated from Switzerland to other parts of Europe and overseas, including North America. One such individual was Jakob Baggenstos (1832-1911), who left Switzerland and settled in the United States, where he became a successful farmer in Ohio.
Other notable individuals with the Baggenstos surname include Theodor Baggenstos (1848-1923), a Swiss architect who designed several notable buildings in Zurich, and Hans Baggenstos (1901-1982), a Swiss painter and artist known for his landscape and genre paintings.
While the Baggenstos name has its roots in Switzerland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the name remains strongly connected to its Swiss origins and the rich history associated with its potential occupational and regional ties.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baggenstos
Among Census respondents with the surname Baggenstos, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Baggenstos 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 Baggenstos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 93
- Two or more races12.3% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baggenstos
Baggenstos 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-16 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 26,598 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+13 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 26,598 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 13,217 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 Baggenstos 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 | #159,712 | #146,495 | 8.3% |
| Count | 101 | 114 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baggenstos bearers went from 101 to 114 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 13,217 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #146,495.
FAQ
Baggenstos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baggenstos?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Baggenstos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Baggenstos?
Baggenstos ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Baggenstos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Baggenstos.
Has Baggenstos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baggenstos went from 101 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 13 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Baggenstos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baggenstos, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Baggenstos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baggenstos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Two or More Races (12.3%), Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Baggenstos (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 Baggenstos mean?
A Swiss surname derived from a place name, referring to someone from the town of Baggesstorf. 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 Baggenstos (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 common is the surname Baggenstos?
See how many Americans have the surname Baggenstos on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.