2000
#9,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Baptista
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Baptist, meaning "to baptize" or "to dip in water."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,297 Americans carry the last name Baptista. That puts it at #8,458 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baptista 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 Baptista with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,766
Census rank
#8,458
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,747 bearers of the surname Baptista in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8458th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptista, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.6%) and Black (13.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baptista
The surname Baptista originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is a patronymic derived from the male given name Battista, which is the Italian form of the name Baptist. The name Baptist itself comes from the Greek βαπτιστής (baptistēs), meaning "baptizer" or "one who baptizes."
Baptista was a fairly common surname in Italy, particularly in regions like Tuscany, Umbria, and Emilia-Romagna. It is also found in historical records from other parts of the Italian peninsula, such as Naples and Sicily. The earliest known written records of the surname date back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Baptista can be found in the "Libro di Montaperti" (Book of Montaperti), a medieval chronicle from the 13th century that describes the events surrounding the Battle of Montaperti in 1260. The chronicle mentions a certain "Battista di Ricco Baptista" who fought in the battle.
Another early reference to the surname appears in the "Matricola dei Mercanti" (Register of Merchants) of the city of Bologna, dated to the year 1294. This document lists several individuals with the surname Baptista who were members of the city's merchant guild.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Baptista was Giovanni Baptista Strozzi (1355-1418), a wealthy Florentine banker and politician. He was a member of the influential Strozzi family and served as the Gonfaloniere di Giustizia (Standard Bearer of Justice) in Florence.
During the Renaissance, the surname Baptista was borne by several artists and scholars, including the painter Raffaello Baptista (c. 1475-1524) and the humanist scholar Baptista Guarino (1434-1503), who taught at the University of Ferrara.
In the 16th century, the surname was held by the Italian mathematician and astronomer Giovanni Battista Benedetti (1530-1590), who made significant contributions to the study of mechanics and optics.
The surname Baptista also has a long history in Portugal, where it is often spelled as "Batista." One notable bearer of this name was the Portuguese poet and playwright João Baptista de Castro (1700-1775), who was influential in the development of the neo-classical style in Portuguese literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baptista
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptista, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.6%) and Black (13.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Baptista 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 Baptista surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.0% · 1,947
- Hispanic or Latino17.6% · 661
- Black or African American13.4% · 501
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.9% · 410
- Two or more races5.5% · 206
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baptista
Baptista 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
#9,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,621
+571 bearers (+18.7%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 755 places
2020
#8,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,747
+126 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,782 | 3,050 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,027 | 3,621 | 1.23 | +571 bearers (+18.7%) | Up 755 places |
| 2020 | #8,458 | 3,747 | 1.25 | +126 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 569 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 Baptista 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 | #9,027 | #8,458 | 6.3% |
| Count | 3,621 | 3,747 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.25 | 1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baptista bearers went from 3,621 to 3,747 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 569 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,027 to #8,458.
FAQ
Baptista surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baptista?
Name Census estimates that about 4,297 living Americans carry the surname Baptista. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,766 residents.
How common is Baptista?
Baptista ranks #8,458 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,747 people with the surname Baptista. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Baptista.
Has Baptista become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baptista went from 3,621 recorded bearers to 3,747. That is an increase of 126 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,027 to #8,458.
What does the Census say about the background of Baptista?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptista, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.6%) and Black (13.4%). 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 Baptista in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.0% (1,947 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baptista appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.0%), Hispanic (17.6%), Black (13.4%). 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 Baptista (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 Baptista mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Baptist, meaning "to baptize" or "to dip in water." 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 Baptista (1.25 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 Americans have the surname Baptista?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.