2000
#11,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,481
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Baney
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bath house" or "bathing place" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,634 Americans carry the last name Baney. That puts it at #12,803 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,127 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baney 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
2.6K
1 in 130,127
Census rank
#12,803
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,297 bearers of the surname Baney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12803rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baney
The surname Baney is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old French word "banier," which means "standard-bearer" or "banner-carrier." This occupation-based name was likely given to individuals who carried banners or standards during military campaigns or tournaments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Rolls of the Battell Abbey, a historical document dating back to the 11th century. The document mentions a certain Radulfus Baney, who was a standard-bearer during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Another early reference to the name appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book lists several individuals with the surname Baney, indicating that the name was already well-established in parts of England by this time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Baney was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in France, as well as in parts of southern England where Norman influence was strong. Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Baneye, Baneigh, and Banye.
One notable individual with the surname Baney was Sir John Baney, a prominent English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. Another was William Baney, a renowned architect from Normandy who is credited with designing several notable churches and abbeys in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the Huguenot diaspora, as many French Protestants fled religious persecution and settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas. Jean Baney, a Huguenot refugee from Normandy, is recorded as one of the earliest settlers in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York) in the 1620s.
Other notable individuals with the surname Baney include Thomas Baney (1587-1656), an English clergyman and author of religious texts, and Marie-Anne Baney (1718-1794), a French painter and portraitist who achieved recognition during the Age of Enlightenment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baney
Among Census respondents with the surname Baney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Baney 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 Baney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 2,039
- Two or more races4.4% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 40
- Black or African American1.3% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baney
Baney 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
#12,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,553
+72 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 594 places
2020
#12,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,297
-256 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 604 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,605 | 2,481 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,199 | 2,553 | 0.87 | +72 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 594 places |
| 2020 | #12,803 | 2,297 | 0.77 | -256 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 604 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 Baney 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 | #12,199 | #12,803 | -5.0% |
| Count | 2,553 | 2,297 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.77 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baney bearers went from 2,553 to 2,297 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 604 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,199 to #12,803.
FAQ
Baney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baney?
Name Census estimates that about 2,634 living Americans carry the surname Baney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,127 residents.
How common is Baney?
Baney ranks #12,803 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,297 people with the surname Baney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,634), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Baney.
Has Baney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baney went from 2,553 recorded bearers to 2,297. That is a decrease of 256 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,199 to #12,803.
What does the Census say about the background of Baney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Baney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (2,039 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Baney (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 Baney mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bath house" or "bathing place" in Old English. 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 Baney (0.77 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 have the last name Baney?
Want to know how many people have the surname Baney? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.