2000
#16,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,546
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Ban
A Hungarian surname derived from the word "bán," meaning "governor" or "viceroy," denoting a person of high rank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,572 Americans carry the last name Ban. That puts it at #13,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,264 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ban 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 Ban with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,264
Census rank
#13,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,243 bearers of the surname Ban in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ban, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ban
Among Census respondents with the surname Ban, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ban 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 Ban surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander48.3% · 1,083
- White41.6% · 933
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 78
- Two or more races3.2% · 72
- Black or African American3.1% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ban
Ban 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
#14,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,011
+465 bearers (+30.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 2,192 places
2020
#13,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,243
+232 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 1,699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,960 | 1,546 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,768 | 2,011 | 0.68 | +465 bearers (+30.1%) | Up 2,192 places |
| 2020 | #13,069 | 2,243 | 0.75 | +232 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 1,699 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 Ban 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 | #14,768 | #13,069 | 11.5% |
| Count | 2,011 | 2,243 | 11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.75 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ban bearers went from 2,011 to 2,243 (+11.5% change). The surname moved up 1,699 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,768 to #13,069.
FAQ
Ban surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ban?
Name Census estimates that about 2,572 living Americans carry the surname Ban. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,264 residents.
How common is Ban?
Ban ranks #13,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,243 people with the surname Ban. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,572), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Ban.
Has Ban become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ban went from 2,011 recorded bearers to 2,243. That is an increase of 232 (+11.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,768 to #13,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Ban?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ban, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 48.3%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ban in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.3% (1,083 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ban appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (48.3%), White (41.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Ban (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 Ban mean?
A Hungarian surname derived from the word "bán," meaning "governor" or "viceroy," denoting a person of high rank. 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 Ban (0.75 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 common is the surname Ban?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Ban, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.