2000
#935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.69
Uncommon Last name
Baird
A Scottish and English occupational surname referring to a poet or bard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,306 Americans carry the last name Baird. That puts it at #1,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,948 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baird 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 Baird with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 8,948
Census rank
#1,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,405 bearers of the surname Baird in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baird, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baird
The surname Baird originates from Scotland, with its earliest known use dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "bearde," meaning "bearded one," suggesting it may have been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a prominent beard.
The earliest recorded reference to the name Baird can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish noblemen and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One notable entry is that of John Baird, a landowner from Lanarkshire.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various Scottish records and charters, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1359, which mention a Thomas Bard. The spelling variations during this period included Baird, Bard, and Bairde, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in medieval times.
By the 15th century, the Baird family had established themselves as a prominent clan in Ayrshire, Scotland. One of the earliest recorded members of this clan was Sir John Baird of Kilwinning, who was knighted by King James II of Scotland in 1456.
The 16th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals bearing the surname Baird. One was William Baird (c. 1550-1610), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Another was Robert Baird (1588-1637), a Scottish clergyman and one of the ministers who signed the National Covenant in 1638.
In the 17th century, the Baird family continued to be influential in Scotland. Sir John Baird (1620-1698) was a prominent lawyer and judge who served as Lord President of the Court of Session, the highest civil court in Scotland at the time.
The 18th century brought forth William Baird (1701-1768), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who founded the Baird Trust, a charitable organization that still operates today. Another notable figure was Sir David Baird (1757-1829), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was later made a baronet for his military achievements.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Baird was Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887), an American naturalist, ornithologist, and ichthyologist who served as the first commissioner of the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, now known as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baird
Among Census respondents with the surname Baird, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Baird 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 Baird surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 29,506
- Two or more races3.6% · 1,197
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,136
- Black or African American3.4% · 1,130
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 258
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 178
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baird
Baird 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
#1,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,721
+488 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 11.77
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#1,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,405
-1,316 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 11.18
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #935 | 34,233 | 12.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,010 | 34,721 | 11.77 | +488 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #1,034 | 33,405 | 11.18 | -1,316 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 24 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 Baird 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 | #1,010 | #1,034 | -2.4% |
| Count | 34,721 | 33,405 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 11.77 | 11.18 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baird bearers went from 34,721 to 33,405 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,010 to #1,034.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Baird
FAQ
Baird surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baird?
Name Census estimates that about 38,306 living Americans carry the surname Baird. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,948 residents.
How common is Baird?
Baird ranks #1,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,405 people with the surname Baird. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Baird.
Has Baird become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baird went from 34,721 recorded bearers to 33,405. That is a decrease of 1,316 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,010 to #1,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Baird?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baird, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Baird in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (29,506 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baird appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Baird (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 Baird mean?
A Scottish and English occupational surname referring to a poet or bard. 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 Baird (11.18 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 Baird?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.