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

Baptist, 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 Baptist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Baptist in America

Baptist is the 15595th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Baptist surname appeared 1,875 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 Baptist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Baptist 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 Baptist

The surname Baptist originated in England during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It derived from the religious group known as the Baptists, who advocated for adult baptism. The name likely referred to individuals who belonged to this Protestant sect or had associations with it.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Baptist can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, where a Thomas Baptist was mentioned in 1599. Another early reference comes from the records of St. Michael's Church in Coventry, which document a William Baptist in 1611.

The surname Baptist may also have roots in the Old English word "baptista," which means "one who baptizes." This connection suggests that some individuals bearing this surname may have been involved in performing baptismal ceremonies or had occupations related to baptism.

In the 17th century, the surname Baptist began to appear in various parts of England, including Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. Notable individuals with this surname from this period include John Baptist (1628-1685), a prominent nonconformist minister who served as the pastor of the Baptist congregation in Tewkesbury, and Samuel Baptist (1662-1744), a Baptist minister and author from Gloucestershire.

As the Baptist movement spread throughout England and later to other parts of the world, the surname Baptist likely traveled with its adherents. In the 18th and 19th centuries, individuals with this surname can be found in various records and historical documents from different regions.

One notable figure was Sir Thomas Baptist (1766-1851), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Worcester. Another was George Baptist (1794-1859), an English Baptist minister and author who served as the pastor of the Baptist church in Norwich.

In the United States, the surname Baptist can be traced back to the early colonial period. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Baptist, who was born in Virginia in 1652. Other notable individuals include Reverend Moses Baptist (1770-1851), a Baptist minister and abolitionist from Vermont, and William Baptist (1797-1879), a Baptist minister and educator from Kentucky.

Throughout its history, the surname Baptist has been associated with individuals involved in the Baptist faith, either as ministers, preachers, or members of Baptist congregations. While the name originated in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, reflecting the global reach of the Baptist movement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Baptist

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

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

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

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