2000
#15,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,801
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Baptist
An occupational surname originating from the word "Baptist" referring to one who baptizes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,093 Americans carry the last name Baptist. That puts it at #15,460 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baptist 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 Baptist with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,762
Census rank
#15,460
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,825 bearers of the surname Baptist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15460th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptist, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baptist
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptist, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Baptist 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 Baptist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.7% · 888
- White35.1% · 641
- Two or more races6.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baptist
Baptist 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
#15,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,875
+74 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 558 places
2020
#15,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,825
-50 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,037 | 1,801 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,595 | 1,875 | 0.64 | +74 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 558 places |
| 2020 | #15,460 | 1,825 | 0.61 | -50 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 135 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 Baptist 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 | #15,595 | #15,460 | 0.9% |
| Count | 1,875 | 1,825 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.61 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baptist bearers went from 1,875 to 1,825 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,595 to #15,460.
FAQ
Baptist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baptist?
Name Census estimates that about 2,093 living Americans carry the surname Baptist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,762 residents.
How common is Baptist?
Baptist ranks #15,460 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,825 people with the surname Baptist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,093), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Baptist.
Has Baptist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baptist went from 1,875 recorded bearers to 1,825. That is a decrease of 50 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,595 to #15,460.
What does the Census say about the background of Baptist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptist, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (35.1%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Baptist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.7% (888 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baptist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.7%), White (35.1%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Baptist (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 Baptist mean?
An occupational surname originating from the word "Baptist" referring to one who baptizes. 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 Baptist (0.61 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 Baptist?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Baptist is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.