2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Bascoe
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Baskerville or derived from French Basque meaning "of Basque descent".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Bascoe. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bascoe 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Bascoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bascoe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bascoe
The surname Bascoe is believed to have originated in England. It is an Anglo-Saxon name derived from the Old English words "bas" meaning "badger" and "cot" meaning "cottage" or "dwelling place". Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who lived in a cottage near a badger's den or in an area where badgers were commonly found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bascoe can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of land ownership and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name was spelled as "Badecot" in this document.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its more modern spelling of "Bascoe". In 1273, a Richard de Badecote was recorded as living in Wiltshire, England. This is one of the earliest examples of the name being used in its current form.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Bascoe family established themselves in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. Several place names in these regions, such as Badcote and Badcott, are believed to have derived from the surname.
One notable figure bearing the surname Bascoe was Sir John Bascoe (c. 1460-1528), who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Henry VIII. He was also a landowner and held the position of High Sheriff of Somerset in 1514.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Bascoe (1567-1635), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex and held several other ecclesiastical positions in the Church of England during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
In the 17th century, the Bascoe family continued to thrive, with several members achieving notable positions. One such individual was William Bascoe (1619-1684), who was a wealthy merchant and served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1672.
During the 18th century, the Bascoe name spread beyond England, with some members of the family settling in other parts of the British Isles and North America. One noteworthy figure from this period was Robert Bascoe (1738-1815), a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the development of the city of Glasgow.
In the 19th century, the Bascoe surname was carried by several individuals who made their mark in various fields. These include Charles Bascoe (1802-1871), an English lawyer and writer, and James Bascoe (1821-1892), a British artist and illustrator known for his landscape paintings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bascoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Bascoe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bascoe 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 Bascoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.6% · 99
- White5.3% · 6
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bascoe
Bascoe appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+12 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,491 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 12,491 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 Bascoe 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 | #159,712 | #147,221 | 7.8% |
| Count | 101 | 113 | 11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bascoe bearers went from 101 to 113 (+11.9% change). The surname moved up 12,491 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #147,221.
FAQ
Bascoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bascoe?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Bascoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Bascoe?
Bascoe ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Bascoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bascoe.
Has Bascoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bascoe went from 101 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 12 (+11.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Bascoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bascoe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Bascoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bascoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (87.6%), White (5.3%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Bascoe (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 Bascoe mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Baskerville or derived from French Basque meaning "of Basque descent". 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 Bascoe (0.04 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 are called Bascoe?
Want to know how common the surname Bascoe is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.