2000
#12,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,167
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Bascom
From an English place name meaning "Bassa's valley," referring to someone who lived in such a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,635 Americans carry the last name Bascom. That puts it at #12,799 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,078 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bascom 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
2.6K
1 in 130,078
Census rank
#12,799
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,298 bearers of the surname Bascom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12799th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bascom, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bascom
The surname Bascom is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name, specifically a village called Bascombe in Dorset, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "baec" and "cumb," which translate to "ridge" and "valley," respectively, suggesting that the original bearer of the name lived near a ridge in a valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Willelmus de Bascumbe is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 12th century and had taken on a locative form, denoting someone from the area of Bascombe.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as Bascombe, Basscombe, and Baskombe. This variation in spelling was common during that time, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.
One notable individual with the surname Bascom was Sir John Bascom, who lived in the late 14th century and served as a member of Parliament for Somerset in 1388. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Bascom, who was born in the early 16th century and served as a clergyman in the Church of England.
The name Bascom has also been associated with several place names throughout history. For instance, there is a village called Bascombe in Wiltshire, England, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname.
In the 17th century, the name Bascom appeared in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, indicating that some individuals with this surname had migrated from England to the New World. One such individual was Thomas Bascom, who was born in 1619 in Cambridgeshire, England, and later settled in Massachusetts.
Another notable figure with the surname Bascom was Jonathan Bascom, an American soldier and politician who was born in 1741 in Connecticut. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later held various political positions, including serving as a member of the Connecticut General Assembly.
Throughout its history, the surname Bascom has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clergy, politicians, soldiers, and ordinary citizens. While its origins can be traced back to a specific place in England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bascom
Among Census respondents with the surname Bascom, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bascom 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 Bascom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 1,651
- Black or African American18.9% · 435
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 90
- Two or more races3.5% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bascom
Bascom 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
#13,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,349
+182 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 102 places
2020
#12,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,298
-51 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,971 | 2,167 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,073 | 2,349 | 0.80 | +182 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 102 places |
| 2020 | #12,799 | 2,298 | 0.77 | -51 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 274 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 Bascom 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 | #13,073 | #12,799 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,349 | 2,298 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.77 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bascom bearers went from 2,349 to 2,298 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 274 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,073 to #12,799.
FAQ
Bascom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bascom?
Name Census estimates that about 2,635 living Americans carry the surname Bascom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,078 residents.
How common is Bascom?
Bascom ranks #12,799 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,298 people with the surname Bascom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,635), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Bascom.
Has Bascom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bascom went from 2,349 recorded bearers to 2,298. That is a decrease of 51 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,073 to #12,799.
What does the Census say about the background of Bascom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bascom, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Bascom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (1,651 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bascom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (18.9%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Bascom (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 Bascom mean?
From an English place name meaning "Bassa's valley," referring to someone who lived in such a location. 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 Bascom (0.77 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 common is the surname Bascom?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Bascom at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.