2000
#11,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,639
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Balog
A Hungarian occupational surname referring to a hewer of wood or a woodcutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,675 Americans carry the last name Balog. That puts it at #12,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balog 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 Balog with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,132
Census rank
#12,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,333 bearers of the surname Balog in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balog, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balog
The surname BALOG is of Hungarian origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a nickname derived from the Slavic word "blag," meaning "good" or "gentle." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person with a kind or amiable nature.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various forms, such as Balogh, Balogh, and Balógh, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. These alternate spellings were common in historical records, as standardization of surnames was not widespread until more recent times.
One of the earliest known mentions of the BALOG surname can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Pécsvárad, in present-day Hungary. This document records a landowner named Petrus Balogh, indicating that the name was already in use among the nobility at that time.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the BALOG name gained prominence in various parts of the Kingdom of Hungary, which encompassed territories in modern-day Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia, in addition to present-day Hungary. Notable individuals bearing this surname include János Balog (1495-1569), a renowned humanist scholar and diplomat who served as the personal secretary to King Louis II of Hungary.
In the 17th century, the BALOG surname appeared in several historical records, including the Urbarium of Zemplén County, which documented landowners and their properties. One such entry mentions a certain István Balog, who owned a significant estate in the village of Deregnyő (now part of Slovakia).
The 18th and 19th centuries saw the BALOG name spread throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with bearers of the surname emerging in various professions and fields. Notable figures from this period include Pál Balog (1771-1833), a Catholic priest and writer who authored several theological works, and József Balog (1828-1909), a celebrated painter and art teacher who played a significant role in the development of Hungarian Realist art.
Throughout its history, the BALOG surname has been associated with numerous place names, such as Baloghfalva (now Blhovce in Slovakia) and Balogvölgy (now Bloževec in Slovenia), further underscoring its deep-rooted presence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balog
Among Census respondents with the surname Balog, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Balog 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 Balog surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,193
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 62
- Two or more races2.3% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balog
Balog 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
#11,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,665
+26 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 704 places
2020
#12,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,333
-332 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 885 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,049 | 2,639 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,753 | 2,665 | 0.90 | +26 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 704 places |
| 2020 | #12,638 | 2,333 | 0.78 | -332 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 885 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 Balog 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 | #11,753 | #12,638 | -7.5% |
| Count | 2,665 | 2,333 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.78 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balog bearers went from 2,665 to 2,333 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 885 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,753 to #12,638.
FAQ
Balog surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balog?
Name Census estimates that about 2,675 living Americans carry the surname Balog. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,132 residents.
How common is Balog?
Balog ranks #12,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,333 people with the surname Balog. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Balog.
Has Balog become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balog went from 2,665 recorded bearers to 2,333. That is a decrease of 332 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,753 to #12,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Balog?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balog, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Balog in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balog appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Balog (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 Balog mean?
A Hungarian occupational surname referring to a hewer of wood or a woodcutter. 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 Balog (0.78 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 Balog?
If you just want to know how many people are called Balog, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.