2000
#5,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,702
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Baines
Derived from a French topographic name referring to someone who lived near a public bath or bathing place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,892 Americans carry the last name Baines. That puts it at #5,582 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,732 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baines 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 Baines with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,732
Census rank
#5,582
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,010 bearers of the surname Baines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5582nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baines, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (44.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baines
The surname Baines is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "baine," meaning "russet" or "pale-red brown," and was likely a nickname given to someone with reddish-brown hair or complexion.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Baines can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, where it appears as "Bane." Over time, the name evolved into its current spelling of "Baines," which is most commonly found in the north of England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Roger Baines, a landowner from Lancashire who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records of 1292. Another notable figure was Thomas Baines (c. 1480-1549), a prominent English Catholic priest and scholar who served as the Master of the College of the Clergy in Lichfield.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Baines was often associated with the woolen trade, as many families with this surname were involved in the production and sale of woolen goods in the textile centers of northern England.
In the 18th century, Edward Baines (1774-1848) was a prominent English journalist and politician who founded the Leeds Mercury newspaper in 1818. He was also a member of Parliament and an advocate for parliamentary reform.
Another notable figure was Thomas Baines (1822-1875), an English artist and explorer who is renowned for his paintings and sketches of African landscapes and wildlife. He accompanied several major expeditions to South Africa and was one of the first Europeans to document the Victoria Falls.
In the 19th century, Sir John Athelstane Baines (1853-1935) was a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 1914 to 1923.
While the name Baines has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and colonization. However, its origins can be traced back to the 12th century and the Old French word "baine," reflecting the rich history and evolution of this surname over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baines
Among Census respondents with the surname Baines, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (44.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Baines 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 Baines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.7% · 2,806
- White44.3% · 2,663
- Two or more races4.5% · 269
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baines
Baines 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
#5,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,557
+855 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Up 273 places
2020
#5,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,010
-547 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,586 | 5,702 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,313 | 6,557 | 2.22 | +855 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 273 places |
| 2020 | #5,582 | 6,010 | 2.01 | -547 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 269 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 Baines 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 | #5,313 | #5,582 | -5.1% |
| Count | 6,557 | 6,010 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.22 | 2.01 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baines bearers went from 6,557 to 6,010 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 269 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,313 to #5,582.
FAQ
Baines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baines?
Name Census estimates that about 6,892 living Americans carry the surname Baines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,732 residents.
How common is Baines?
Baines ranks #5,582 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 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 6,010 people with the surname Baines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,892), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 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 Baines.
Has Baines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baines went from 6,557 recorded bearers to 6,010. That is a decrease of 547 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,313 to #5,582.
What does the Census say about the background of Baines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baines, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (44.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Baines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.7% (2,806 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.7%), White (44.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Baines (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 Baines mean?
Derived from a French topographic name referring to someone who lived near a public bath or bathing place. 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 Baines (2.01 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 surname Baines?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.