2000
#2,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.83
Uncommon Last name
Bales
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of baleen products, or a Middle English nickname for a rotund person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,437 Americans carry the last name Bales. That puts it at #2,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bales 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 Bales with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,741
Census rank
#2,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,590 bearers of the surname Bales in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bales, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bales
The surname Bales is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "bale," which referred to a bundle or bale of goods. This name likely originated as an occupational surname given to someone who worked with bales or bundles, such as a merchant or trader.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bales can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century, where a William Bales is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a John de Bales.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire, which mention a Thomas Bales in 1279. The Placita de Quo Warranto, a legal record from the reign of Edward I, also includes a reference to a John Bales in 1292.
The surname Bales can also be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1332, where a William Bales is listed. Additionally, the Poll Tax Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379 include several individuals with the surname, such as Johannes Bales and Robertus Bales.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the name continued to appear in various records, including the Feet of Fines for Essex, which mentions a Thomas Bales in 1506. Another notable individual was John Bales (c. 1495-1563), an English dramatist and Bishop of Ossory, known for his play "Kynge Johan."
During the 17th century, the name Bales was associated with several prominent figures, including Peter Bales (1547-1610), an English Catholic priest and author, and Richard Bales (1615-1668), an English lawyer and member of the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn.
Another notable individual was Walter Bales (1639-1676), an English soldier and officer who served in the Third Anglo-Dutch War. In the 18th century, Thomas Bales (1705-1749) was a British artist known for his landscape paintings.
As the surname spread across England, it also appeared in various place names, such as Bales Green in Suffolk and Bales Ash in Shropshire, further solidifying its presence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bales
Among Census respondents with the surname Bales, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bales 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 Bales surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 11,295
- Two or more races4.0% · 499
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 485
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 105
- Black or African American0.8% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bales
Bales 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
#2,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,326
+298 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 4.52
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#2,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,590
-736 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 4.21
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,550 | 13,028 | 4.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,704 | 13,326 | 4.52 | +298 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #2,788 | 12,590 | 4.21 | -736 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 84 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 Bales 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 | #2,704 | #2,788 | -3.1% |
| Count | 13,326 | 12,590 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.52 | 4.21 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bales bearers went from 13,326 to 12,590 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,704 to #2,788.
FAQ
Bales surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bales?
Name Census estimates that about 14,437 living Americans carry the surname Bales. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,741 residents.
How common is Bales?
Bales ranks #2,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,590 people with the surname Bales. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,437), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Bales.
Has Bales become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bales went from 13,326 recorded bearers to 12,590. That is a decrease of 736 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,704 to #2,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Bales?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bales, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Bales in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (11,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bales appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Bales (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 Bales mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of baleen products, or a Middle English nickname for a rotund person. 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 Bales (4.21 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 last name Bales?
Want to know how many people have the last name Bales? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.