2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Baltasar
A Spanish surname derived from the eponym Baltasar, meaning treasurer or master of the house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Baltasar. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baltasar 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Baltasar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baltasar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5%) and White (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baltasar
The surname "Baltasar" is of Spanish origin, derived from the Biblical name "Balthazar," one of the three wise men who visited the infant Jesus. The name is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, when the story of the three wise men became a popular subject in Christian folklore and art.
The name "Baltasar" is a Hispanicized version of the Greek name "Balthasar," which itself is derived from the Babylonian name "Bel-shar-usur," meaning "Bel (the god) protect the king." This name was commonly used in ancient Babylon and Persia, and it entered the Christian tradition through the Biblical account of the wise men.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Baltasar" can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records, particularly in regions such as Aragon, Castile, and Andalusia. The name was likely adopted as a surname by families who venerated the story of the wise men or had connections to the Christian tradition.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname "Baltasar" was Baltasar de Castiglione (1478-1529), an Italian courtier and diplomat who served as a member of the papal curia. Another notable figure was Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658), a Spanish Jesuit priest, philosopher, and writer, best known for his works on ethical and political philosophy.
In the realm of art, Baltasar de Echave Ibía (1548-1624) was a Spanish painter and sculptor who worked in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. His most famous works include the altarpiece in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza.
During the colonial era, the surname "Baltasar" also spread to Spanish territories in the Americas. One prominent figure was Baltasar de Zúñiga (1658-1722), a Spanish colonial administrator who served as the Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1716 to 1722.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros (1757-1829), a Spanish naval officer and explorer who conducted important explorations in the Pacific Ocean, including the discovery of several islands in the Marshall Islands group.
The surname "Baltasar" has continued to be used throughout the Spanish-speaking world, with variations in spelling and pronunciation in different regions. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period and the Christian tradition surrounding the three wise men.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baltasar
Among Census respondents with the surname Baltasar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5%) and White (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Baltasar 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 Baltasar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino73.3% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.5% · 15
- White7.5% · 9
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baltasar
Baltasar 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
#114,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+34 bearers (+28.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 16,942 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-33 bearers (-21.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,625 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #114,424 | 153 | 0.05 | +34 bearers (+28.6%) | Up 16,942 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -33 bearers (-21.6%) | Down 27,625 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 Baltasar 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 | #114,424 | #142,049 | -24.1% |
| Count | 153 | 120 | -21.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baltasar bearers went from 153 to 120 (-21.6% change). The surname moved down 27,625 positions in the national ranking, going from #114,424 to #142,049.
FAQ
Baltasar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baltasar?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Baltasar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Baltasar?
Baltasar ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Baltasar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Baltasar.
Has Baltasar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baltasar went from 153 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 33 (-21.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #114,424 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Baltasar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baltasar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5%) and White (7.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Baltasar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baltasar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (73.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5%), White (7.5%). 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 Baltasar (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 Baltasar mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the eponym Baltasar, meaning treasurer or master of the house. 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 Baltasar (0.04 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 share the surname Baltasar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.