2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Balai
A surname of Philippine origin, referring to a broom or house sweeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Balai. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balai 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Balai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 37.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and White (22.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balai
The surname BALAI is believed to have originated from the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Punjab. It is thought to have derived from the Sanskrit word "balai," which means "strength" or "power." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who possessed physical prowess or held positions of authority.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BALAI can be traced back to the 16th century in the Mughal Empire's administrative records. During this period, the name was often associated with individuals holding military or administrative roles within the empire's bureaucracy.
In the 17th century, the BALAI surname gained prominence in the Punjab region, particularly among the Khatri caste, which was known for its involvement in trade and commerce. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this time period include Bhai Balai Singh (1670-1743), a prominent Sikh warrior and military leader, and Diwan Balai Ram (1685-1758), a renowned administrator and scholar in the court of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
As the Punjabi community migrated and settled in various parts of the Indian subcontinent, the BALAI surname spread to other regions as well. In the 18th and 19th centuries, records show instances of the name in regions such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
In the 20th century, several individuals with the BALAI surname made significant contributions in various fields. For instance, Sardar Balai Singh (1902-1984) was a prominent politician and freedom fighter who played an active role in India's independence movement. Dr. Balai Chandra Ghose (1909-1991) was a renowned scientist and the founder of the Indian Statistical Institute, while Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay (1920-2001) was a celebrated author and playwright known for his contributions to Bengali literature.
Other notable figures bearing the BALAI surname include Gurdial Balai (1925-2017), a pioneering Punjabi writer and novelist, and Balai Singh Chauhan (1939-2021), a respected environmentalist and social activist who dedicated his life to conservation efforts in the Himalayan region.
Throughout its history, the BALAI surname has maintained its association with strength, power, and leadership, reflecting the origins of its meaning from the Sanskrit word "balai." While the name has been predominantly found in the Indian subcontinent, it has also been carried by individuals of Punjabi descent who have migrated to various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balai
Among Census respondents with the surname Balai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 37.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and White (22.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Balai 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 Balai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander37.8% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino26.5% · 26
- White22.4% · 22
- Two or more races13.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balai
Balai appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-5 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 965 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.9%) | Up 965 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 Balai 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 | #157,234 | #156,269 | 0.6% |
| Count | 103 | 98 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balai bearers went from 103 to 98 (-4.9% change). The surname moved up 965 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #156,269.
FAQ
Balai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balai?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Balai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Balai?
Balai ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Balai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Balai.
Has Balai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balai went from 103 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Balai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 37.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and White (22.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Balai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 37.8% (37 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (37.8%), Hispanic (26.5%), White (22.4%). 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 Balai (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 Balai mean?
A surname of Philippine origin, referring to a broom or house sweeper. 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 Balai (0.03 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 are called Balai?
See how many people are called Balai on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.