2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ballway
An English habitational name indicating someone who lived near a ballway or pathway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Ballway. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ballway 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.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Ballway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ballway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ballway
The surname BALLWAY is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname derived from a place name, possibly a town or village where the first bearer of the name lived or was born.
One theory suggests that BALLWAY may have its roots in the Old English words "bæl" meaning "fire" or "beacon," and "weg" meaning "way" or "road." This could indicate that the name originally referred to a path or road marked by beacons or fires, possibly used as a navigational aid or signal.
Another possibility is that BALLWAY is a variation of the place name "Baldway" or "Baldwey," which is recorded in historical documents from the 13th century. This place name is believed to be derived from the Old English personal name "Bealdwine" combined with the word "weg" meaning "way" or "road."
In the Domesday Book, a landmark record of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are several entries that may be related to the BALLWAY surname. For example, there is a reference to a place called "Baldewelle" in Nottinghamshire, which could be an early spelling of a location connected to the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BALLWAY surname dates back to 1273, when a John de Baldeway is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. This document was a survey of landholdings carried out during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname BALLWAY was Sir William Ballway (c. 1520 - 1598), who served as a member of parliament and was involved in the legal profession. He was born in Lincolnshire and owned land in various parts of England.
Another individual of note was Robert Ballway (1602 - 1684), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Suffolk. He was a prominent figure in his local community and served as a Justice of the Peace.
In the 18th century, there was a writer and poet named Elizabeth Ballway (1736 - 1813) who published several works of poetry and prose. She was born in Gloucestershire and spent most of her life in the West Country region of England.
During the 19th century, a renowned artist and painter named James Ballway (1825 - 1897) gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the countryside of his native Yorkshire.
Finally, in the early 20th century, a notable academic and historian named Dr. Henry Ballway (1875 - 1957) made significant contributions to the study of medieval English history. He was a professor at Oxford University and authored several influential books on the subject.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ballway
Among Census respondents with the surname Ballway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ballway 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 Ballway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 6
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ballway
Ballway 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,012 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-7 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 14,012 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 2,236 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 Ballway 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 | #153,769 | #156,005 | -1.5% |
| Count | 106 | 99 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ballway bearers went from 106 to 99 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 2,236 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #156,005.
FAQ
Ballway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ballway?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Ballway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Ballway?
Ballway ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Ballway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ballway.
Has Ballway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ballway went from 106 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Ballway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ballway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Ballway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ballway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Ballway (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 Ballway mean?
An English habitational name indicating someone who lived near a ballway or pathway. 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 Ballway (0.03 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 Ballway?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.