2000
#7,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,187
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Balch
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge, bank" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,345 Americans carry the last name Balch. That puts it at #8,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,885 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balch 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 Balch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,885
Census rank
#8,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,789 bearers of the surname Balch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balch
The surname Balch is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "balc," meaning a ridge or a bank of land. It is thought to have originally been a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a ridge or bank.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "Balche." This suggests that the surname was already established in the region by that time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Baulche" and "Balche," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a "Johannes Balche," indicating the presence of the name in that county as well.
The Balch surname has also been linked to place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Balcombe in West Sussex, which was once known as "Balcheham" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This connection suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their association with that location.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Balch surname are:
1. John Balch (c. 1579 - 1649), an English Puritan minister who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1623.
2. Benjamin Balch (1688 - 1766), an American Presbyterian minister and author from Maryland.
3. Thomas Balch (1821 - 1877), an American lawyer and author who wrote extensively on genealogy and history.
4. Lewis Balch (1798 - 1861), an American inventor and manufacturer from Rhode Island, known for his contribution to the development of the printing press.
5. William Ralston Balch (1825 - 1918), an American banker and philanthropist from Philadelphia, who founded the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies.
The Balch surname has undergone various spellings over the centuries, including Balche, Baulche, and Balche, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations. While its origins trace back to England, the name has spread across the world, carried by individuals who emigrated from their homeland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balch
Among Census respondents with the surname Balch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Balch 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 Balch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 3,442
- Two or more races4.1% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 44
- Black or African American0.5% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balch
Balch 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
#7,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,472
+285 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 120 places
2020
#8,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,789
-683 bearers (-15.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 915 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,330 | 4,187 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,450 | 4,472 | 1.52 | +285 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 120 places |
| 2020 | #8,365 | 3,789 | 1.27 | -683 bearers (-15.3%) | Down 915 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 Balch 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 | #7,450 | #8,365 | -12.3% |
| Count | 4,472 | 3,789 | -15.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.27 | -16.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balch bearers went from 4,472 to 3,789 (-15.3% change). The surname moved down 915 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,450 to #8,365.
FAQ
Balch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balch?
Name Census estimates that about 4,345 living Americans carry the surname Balch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,885 residents.
How common is Balch?
Balch ranks #8,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,789 people with the surname Balch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Balch.
Has Balch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balch went from 4,472 recorded bearers to 3,789. That is a decrease of 683 (-15.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,450 to #8,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Balch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balch, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Balch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (3,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Balch (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 Balch mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ridge, bank" in Old English. 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 Balch (1.27 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 Balch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.