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

Banister, 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 Banister surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Banister in America

Banister is the 10260th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Banister surname appeared 3,141 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 Banister.

We can also compare 2010 data for Banister 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 Banister

The surname Banister is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "banistan" or "banistere," which referred to a maker or seller of bannisters, the wooden railings on staircases. The name can be traced back to the late 13th century in England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Banister appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a William le Banistre in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also mention a John Banyster in Norfolk.

In the late 14th century, the surname Banister was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Oxfordshire. The Hearth Tax Returns of the late 17th century show the name concentrated in these areas, as well as in Somerset and Wiltshire.

The surname Banister is also closely associated with the village of Idbury in Oxfordshire, where a family of that name held land and property for several generations. One notable member of this family was Sir John Banister (c. 1533-1624), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

Another notable figure with the surname Banister was John Banister (1650-1692), an English-born naturalist and botanist who settled in Virginia. He is credited with being one of the earliest American naturalists and made significant contributions to the study of the flora and fauna of the New World.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Banister was sometimes spelled as "Banaster" or "Bannister," reflecting the variations in spelling common at the time. The place name "Banister's Park" in Suffolk is also thought to be derived from this surname.

Other notable individuals with the surname Banister include:

• John Banister (1624-1679), an English Puritan minister and writer.
• Henry Charles Banister (1794-1856), an English painter and lithographer.
• John Banister Tabb (1845-1909), an American poet and educator.
• Violet Banister (1888-1986), an English author and illustrator of children's books.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Banister

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

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

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

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