2000
#6,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,762
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Ballenger
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of leather bags, pouches, or purses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,106 Americans carry the last name Ballenger. That puts it at #7,228 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,128 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ballenger 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 Ballenger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,128
Census rank
#7,228
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,453 bearers of the surname Ballenger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7228th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ballenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ballenger
The surname BALLENGER is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'bæl' meaning 'fire' or 'blaze' and 'eng' meaning 'meadow' or 'field'. It likely originated in the early medieval period as a locational name for someone who lived near a field or meadow where fires were lit.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, where it appears as 'Balenger'. This suggests the name was already established by the late 13th century in the county of Essex, which may have been the original homeland of the Ballenger family.
The Ballenger name is also found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327, spelled as 'Balenger'. This indicates the name had spread to other parts of England by the early 14th century.
A notable early bearer of the name was John Ballenger, a landowner from Worcestershire who was recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Hales in 1432. Another early example is Thomas Ballenger, who was listed in the Muster Rolls for Warwickshire in 1539.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was sometimes spelled as 'Balinger' or 'Ballingar', reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. William Balinger, born around 1560 in Gloucestershire, was a prominent figure during this period.
In the late 17th century, the playwright John Ballenger (1670-1725) gained recognition for his works, which included the comedies "The Constant Couple" and "The Recruiting Officer". His contemporary, Sir Richard Ballenger (1679-1744), was a renowned military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession.
Other notable bearers of the Ballenger name include the explorer and naturalist Robert Ballenger (1825-1888), who made significant contributions to the study of the flora and fauna of the American West, and the novelist and essayist Alice Ballenger (1862-1933), whose works explored themes of feminism and social reform.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ballenger
Among Census respondents with the surname Ballenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ballenger 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 Ballenger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 3,504
- Black or African American13.3% · 591
- Two or more races3.8% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ballenger
Ballenger 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
#6,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,956
+194 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 241 places
2020
#7,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,453
-503 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,564 | 4,762 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,805 | 4,956 | 1.68 | +194 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 241 places |
| 2020 | #7,228 | 4,453 | 1.49 | -503 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 423 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 Ballenger 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 | #6,805 | #7,228 | -6.2% |
| Count | 4,956 | 4,453 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.49 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ballenger bearers went from 4,956 to 4,453 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 423 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,805 to #7,228.
FAQ
Ballenger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ballenger?
Name Census estimates that about 5,106 living Americans carry the surname Ballenger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,128 residents.
How common is Ballenger?
Ballenger ranks #7,228 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,453 people with the surname Ballenger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,106), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Ballenger.
Has Ballenger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ballenger went from 4,956 recorded bearers to 4,453. That is a decrease of 503 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,805 to #7,228.
What does the Census say about the background of Ballenger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ballenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ballenger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (3,504 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ballenger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Black (13.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Ballenger (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 Ballenger mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of leather bags, pouches, or purses. 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 Ballenger (1.49 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 Ballenger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.