Find out how popular the last name Bak is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bak.

Bak, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bak in America

Bak is the 10903rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bak surname appeared 2,920 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bak to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bak

The surname Bak has its origins in the Netherlands, where it first appeared in the early 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Dutch word "bak," which meant "basin" or "trough." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a basin or worked with basins or troughs.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch town of Leiden in 1538, where a man named Adriaen Bak was listed in a legal document. Another early reference is from the town of Delft in 1575, where a Jacob Bak is mentioned in a church record.

In the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of the Netherlands and neighboring regions. For example, in 1642, a Jan Bak was born in the town of Zutphen, near the border with Germany. Around the same time, the name also began appearing in German records, likely due to migration or trade between the two countries.

One notable bearer of the name was Gerard Bak, a Dutch painter who lived from 1628 to 1701. He is best known for his portraits and still-life paintings, which were popular among the wealthy merchants of Amsterdam.

Another historical figure with the surname Bak was Johannes Bak, a Dutch theologian and philosopher who lived from 1593 to 1650. He was a prominent figure in the Remonstrant Brotherhood, a religious movement that arose in the Netherlands during the Protestant Reformation.

In the 18th century, the name Bak continued to be found throughout the Netherlands and neighboring regions. For instance, in 1765, a Pieter Bak was born in the town of Vlaardingen, near Rotterdam.

By the 19th century, the name had also made its way to other parts of Europe and the world, likely due to emigration from the Netherlands. One example is Søren Aagaard Bak, a Danish architect who lived from 1844 to 1908 and was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Copenhagen.

Another notable figure with the surname Bak was the Russian-born composer Mikhail Bak, who lived from 1901 to 1972. He was known for his works for piano and orchestra, as well as his contributions to film scores.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bak

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bak.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bak was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bak, please contact us.

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