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

Ban, 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 Ban surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ban in America

Ban is the 14768th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ban surname appeared 2,011 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ban.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ban 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.

The history of the last name Ban

The surname Ban originated in India during the medieval period, stemming from the Sanskrit word "bana" which means "arrow" or "shaft." It was likely an occupational name given to skilled archers or makers of arrows and shafts. Some of the earliest instances of the name can be found in ancient Hindu texts and inscriptions from the 5th to 10th centuries AD.

In the 11th century, the Ban surname began appearing in various regions of India, particularly in the northwestern areas of modern-day Punjab and Rajasthan. It was often associated with the warrior class or Kshatriya caste, as archery and weaponry were highly valued skills in those times.

During the Delhi Sultanate period (12th-16th centuries), several notable figures bore the Ban surname, including Malik Ban, a prominent military commander who served under Sultan Alauddin Khilji in the early 14th century. Another notable individual was Rai Ban Singh, a 16th-century ruler of the princely state of Bundi in Rajasthan.

As the Mughal Empire expanded across India in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ban surname continued to be represented among soldiers, warriors, and nobility. One famous example was Raja Ban Bihari Mal, a 17th-century ruler of the Gohad princely state in central India.

The name also found its way into other parts of the Indian subcontinent, including present-day Bangladesh and Pakistan. In the 18th century, a notable figure was Nawab Ban Begum, a powerful noble and regent who ruled the princely state of Sardhana in northern India.

Over time, some variations of the spelling emerged, such as Bhan, Bann, and Bane, but the core meaning and origin remained rooted in the ancient Sanskrit word for "arrow" or "shaft." The Ban surname continues to be prevalent among various communities in India and the Indian diaspora worldwide.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ban

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

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 Ban was:

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 Ban has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Ban was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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