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

Balassi, 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 Balassi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Balassi in America

Balassi is the 147253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Balassi surname appeared 112 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Balassi.

The history of the last name Balassi

The surname Balassi originated in Hungary in the 16th century. It is derived from the Hungarian word "bála," which means "bale" or "bundle." The name likely referred to someone who worked with bales of goods or materials, such as a merchant or trader.

Balassi is a variant spelling of the more common "Balassa," which was the name of a prominent Hungarian noble family. The Balassa family can be traced back to the 13th century, and their name is thought to have originated from the village of Balassagyarmat in northern Hungary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Balassi appears in the poetry of Bálint Balassi (1554-1594), considered one of the greatest poets in Hungarian literature. Balassi's poems, written in the Renaissance style, were instrumental in shaping the Hungarian language and influencing later poets.

Another notable figure with the surname Balassi was Ferenc Balassi (1610-1663), a Hungarian Jesuit priest and historian. He wrote several works on the history of Hungary and the Jesuit order, including a comprehensive history of the Jesuit mission in Hungary.

In the 18th century, Bálint Balassa (1737-1807) was a Hungarian noble and landowner who played a significant role in the modernization of agriculture and the development of new farming techniques in Hungary.

Károly Balassa (1792-1873) was a Hungarian physician and pathologist who made important contributions to the study of diseases of the mouth and throat. He is credited with identifying and describing the disease now known as "Balassa's syndrome."

Lastly, Imre Balassa (1886-1948) was a Hungarian linguist and philologist who specialized in the study of Finno-Ugric languages. He is known for his work on the historical grammar of the Hungarian language and his research on the origins and development of Uralic languages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Balassi

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

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 Balassi 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.

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 Balassi was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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