Baltar last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Baltar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Baltar.

Meaning of Baltar

An anglicized surname originating from Portugal, potentially derived from "baltar" meaning to jump or dance.

Baltar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Baltar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Baltar in America

Baltar is the 98982nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Baltar surname appeared 183 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Baltar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Baltar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank98982110523-11.02%
Count18314821.15%
Proportion per 100k0.060.0518.18%

The history of the last name Baltar

The surname Baltar is of Portuguese origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late 15th century or early 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Portuguese word "baltear," which means "to swing" or "to rock." This suggests that the name may have been associated with an occupation or activity related to rocking or swinging.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Baltar can be found in the "Livro da Nobreza e Perfeiçam das Armas" (Book of Nobility and Perfection of Arms), a Portuguese armorial manuscript from the late 15th century. This document contains records of noble families and their coats of arms, indicating that the Baltar name was associated with nobility during that period.

In the 16th century, the name Baltar appears in various historical records from the Algarve region of southern Portugal. For example, João Baltar, born in the late 1500s, was a prominent landowner and wine merchant from the town of Loulé.

During the 17th century, the Baltar surname spread to other parts of Portugal and its colonies. One notable figure was Diogo Baltar, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who participated in the colonization of Brazil in the mid-1600s.

In the 18th century, the name Baltar was found in various locations across Portugal, including the Azores Islands. One prominent individual was Manuel Baltar, a renowned poet and playwright from the island of Terceira, who lived from 1720 to 1789.

Throughout the 19th century, the Baltar surname continued to be present in Portugal and its territories. One notable example is José Baltar, a Portuguese politician and lawyer who served as a member of parliament in the late 1800s.

While the Baltar name has its roots in Portugal, it has also been carried by individuals of Portuguese descent in other parts of the world, particularly in the former Portuguese colonies. For instance, there are records of individuals with the surname Baltar in Brazil, the United States, and various countries in Africa and Asia where the Portuguese had a significant historical presence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Baltar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Baltar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Baltar was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only31.69%58
Non-Hispanic Black Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only12.57%23
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin54.64%100

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Baltar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White31.69%45.95%-36.73%
Black0.00%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander12.57%12.16%3.32%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%0.00%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic54.64%39.86%31.28%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Baltar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Baltar, please contact us.

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