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

Baptiste, 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 Baptiste surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Baptiste in America

Baptiste is the 3983rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Baptiste surname appeared 8,915 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Baptiste.

We can also compare 2010 data for Baptiste 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 Baptiste

The surname Baptiste originated in France and Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the given name Baptiste, a French version of the Latin name Baptista, meaning "Baptist" or "one who baptizes." The name is associated with John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ in the Christian tradition.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Baptiste can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries in various regions of France and Italy. In France, it was particularly prevalent in the southern regions, such as Provence and Languedoc, where the name appears in historical records and documents from that period.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Baptiste is found in the Cartulaire de l'Église de Marseille, a cartulary (a medieval manuscript containing transcripts of charters and other legal documents) from the 12th century, which mentions a certain Guillaume Baptiste as a witness to a land transaction.

In Italy, the surname Baptiste was initially more common in the northern regions, such as Piedmont and Lombardy. One notable early bearer of the name was Battista Sforza, an Italian noblewoman who lived from 1446 to 1472 and was the daughter of Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan.

During the Renaissance period, the surname Baptiste became associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. One such individual was Jean Baptiste du Hamel (1624-1706), a French philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the study of physics and natural philosophy.

Another prominent figure with the surname Baptiste was Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687), an Italian-born French composer and violinist who served as the court composer for Louis XIV and is considered one of the founders of French opera.

In the 18th century, the name Baptiste was borne by Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783), a French mathematician, philosopher, and encyclopedist who co-edited the influential Encyclopédie alongside Denis Diderot.

During the 19th century, one notable bearer of the surname was Jules Baptiste Trayer (1824-1892), a French painter and illustrator known for his depictions of historical and military scenes.

Throughout its history, the surname Baptiste has also been associated with various place names and localities, such as Baptiste Creek in Texas, USA, and Île Baptiste, an island in the Canadian province of Quebec.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Baptiste

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

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

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

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