2000
#3,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Uncommon Last name
Baltazar
A surname of Babylonian origin meaning "protect the king," derived from the ancient Akkadian words "Bel" and "sharra."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,840 Americans carry the last name Baltazar. That puts it at #2,716 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,097 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baltazar 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
15K
1 in 23,097
Census rank
#2,716
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,941 bearers of the surname Baltazar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2716th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baltazar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.1%) and White (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baltazar
The surname Baltazar has its origins in Spain and Portugal, where it is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period. It is derived from the biblical name "Balthazar," one of the three Magi or Wise Men who visited the infant Jesus, as mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. The name itself is of Babylonian origin, derived from the words "Bel" (a Babylonian god) and "ṣuri" (protect).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Baltazar can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript compiled during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This text mentions various individuals with the surname, suggesting its presence in the Iberian Peninsula at that time.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Juan Baltazar de Ayala (1443-1505) served as a Spanish military leader and diplomat during the reigns of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. He played a crucial role in the conquest of Granada and the expulsion of the Moors from Spain.
Another noteworthy individual with this surname was Pedro Baltazar de Heredia (1567-1648), a Spanish military officer and governor of the Philippines. He is credited with establishing the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Mariana Islands in 1668.
Moving forward, the surname Baltazar also found its way to the Americas through Spanish and Portuguese colonization. One notable figure was Juan Baltazar de Oñate (1552-1626), a Spanish explorer and colonial governor of New Mexico. He led the expedition that established the first permanent European settlement in the region, known as the Oñate Colony, in 1598.
In the realm of literature, the Portuguese poet and writer João Baltazar Álvares (1666-1726) gained recognition for his works, including "Pastoral da Serra da Estrela" (Pastoral of the Serra da Estrela).
While the surname Baltazar originated in the Iberian Peninsula, it eventually spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. Over time, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Baltasar and Baltazar, reflecting regional linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baltazar
Among Census respondents with the surname Baltazar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.1%) and White (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Baltazar 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 Baltazar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.3% · 10,265
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.1% · 1,436
- White5.4% · 696
- Black or African American2.0% · 259
- Two or more races1.5% · 190
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baltazar
Baltazar 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
#2,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,045
+4,395 bearers (+50.8%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Up 998 places
2020
#2,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,941
-104 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 4.33
Rank movement Up 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,765 | 8,650 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,767 | 13,045 | 4.42 | +4,395 bearers (+50.8%) | Up 998 places |
| 2020 | #2,716 | 12,941 | 4.33 | -104 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 51 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 Baltazar 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 | #2,767 | #2,716 | 1.8% |
| Count | 13,045 | 12,941 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.42 | 4.33 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baltazar bearers went from 13,045 to 12,941 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,767 to #2,716.
FAQ
Baltazar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baltazar?
Name Census estimates that about 14,840 living Americans carry the surname Baltazar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,097 residents.
How common is Baltazar?
Baltazar ranks #2,716 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,941 people with the surname Baltazar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,840), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Baltazar.
Has Baltazar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baltazar went from 13,045 recorded bearers to 12,941. That is a decrease of 104 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,767 to #2,716.
What does the Census say about the background of Baltazar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baltazar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.1%) and White (5.4%). 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 Baltazar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (10,265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baltazar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.1%), White (5.4%). 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 Baltazar (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 Baltazar mean?
A surname of Babylonian origin meaning "protect the king," derived from the ancient Akkadian words "Bel" and "sharra." 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 Baltazar (4.33 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 are called Baltazar?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Baltazar, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.