2000
#12,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Balk
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived by a bank, ridge, or hillside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,076 Americans carry the last name Balk. That puts it at #15,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,103 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balk 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 Balk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,103
Census rank
#15,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,810 bearers of the surname Balk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balk
The surname BALK is of Dutch and German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old Dutch and Old German words "balk" or "balke," meaning a beam, log, or rafter. It is believed that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near a prominent wooden beam or to a carpenter or builder who worked with beams.
The earliest recorded instances of the BALK surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various areas of the Netherlands and Germany. In the Netherlands, the name appeared in records from the province of Friesland, where it was spelled as "Balck." In Germany, variations such as "Balke" and "Balken" were found in records from the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the BALK surname was Gherardt Balck, a merchant from the city of Groningen in the Netherlands, who was mentioned in a trade document dated 1284. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johannes Balke, a German landowner and farmer from the village of Westerholz in Lower Saxony, whose name appears in a land registry from 1342.
In the 15th century, the name BALK was also associated with the town of Balk in the Dutch province of Friesland, suggesting that some individuals may have adopted the surname from the place name. This connection is evident in the case of Pieter van Balk, a notable merchant and ship owner from Balk, who was mentioned in maritime records from the late 1400s.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the BALK surname. One example is Theodorus Balk, a Dutch mathematician and astronomer born in 1668, who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. Another is Eduard Balk, a German composer and pianist born in 1859, known for his works in the Romantic style.
In the literary world, the Dutch author and poet Jacobus Balk (1898-1960) gained recognition for his novels and poetry depicting life in the rural Netherlands. Additionally, the American baseball player Howard Balk (1918-1995) played for several Major League Baseball teams during his career in the 1940s and 1950s.
Overall, the surname BALK has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the medieval Netherlands and Germany, and a connection to the construction and carpentry trades. Its bearers have left their mark in various fields, from science and the arts to sports and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balk
Among Census respondents with the surname Balk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Balk 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 Balk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 1,703
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 39
- Two or more races2.2% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balk
Balk 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
#9,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,228
+980 bearers (+43.6%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 2,643 places
2020
#15,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,810
-1,418 bearers (-43.9%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 5,558 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,634 | 2,248 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,991 | 3,228 | 1.09 | +980 bearers (+43.6%) | Up 2,643 places |
| 2020 | #15,549 | 1,810 | 0.61 | -1,418 bearers (-43.9%) | Down 5,558 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 Balk 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 | #9,991 | #15,549 | -55.6% |
| Count | 3,228 | 1,810 | -43.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.61 | -44.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balk bearers went from 3,228 to 1,810 (-43.9% change). The surname moved down 5,558 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,991 to #15,549.
FAQ
Balk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balk?
Name Census estimates that about 2,076 living Americans carry the surname Balk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,103 residents.
How common is Balk?
Balk ranks #15,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,810 people with the surname Balk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,076), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Balk.
Has Balk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balk went from 3,228 recorded bearers to 1,810. That is a decrease of 1,418 (-43.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,991 to #15,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Balk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balk, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Balk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (1,703 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Balk (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 Balk mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived by a bank, ridge, or hillside. 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 Balk (0.61 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 Americans have the surname Balk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.