2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Basedow
A surname of German origin referring to someone from the town of Basedow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Basedow. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basedow 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Basedow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basedow, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Basedow
The surname BASEDOW is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period in the region of northern Germany and parts of modern-day Saxony-Anhalt. It is believed to have originated as a toponymic surname, derived from a place name or geographic location.
One theory suggests that the name BASEDOW is derived from the Old German words "bas" or "basi," meaning "relative," and "dau" or "dowe," referring to a marsh or swampy area. This would indicate that the name may have originated from a settlement or locality situated in a marshy region, perhaps a place where a group of relatives resided.
Another possibility is that the name BASEDOW is derived from the Old German word "bas," meaning "bad" or "poor," and the word "dau" or "dowe," referring to a meadow or pasture. This interpretation suggests that the name may have originated from a settlement with poor or low-quality pastures or meadowlands.
In the 11th century, the name BASEDOW was documented in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical records and documents from the region of Saxony. This early mention indicates that the name was already established in the area during the High Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname BASEDOW was Henricus de Basedow, a nobleman and landowner who lived in the late 12th century. Records show that he possessed estates in the vicinity of the town of Basedow, located in the present-day state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Johannes Basedow (c. 1330-1395) was a prominent scholar and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Leipzig. He is remembered for his contributions to the study of canon law and his advocacy for educational reforms.
During the Renaissance period, the name BASEDOW gained further recognition through the achievements of Johann Bernhard Basedow (1724-1790), a German pedagogical reformer and writer. He is considered a pioneer in the field of modern education and is known for his work "Elementarwerk," which advocated for a more practical and child-centered approach to learning.
In the 19th century, Karl Adolph von Basedow (1799-1854) was a prominent German physician and scientist who made significant contributions to the field of endocrinology. He is credited with describing the condition now known as Graves' disease, a thyroid disorder also referred to as Basedow's disease in his honor.
Another notable figure from this era was Johann Friedrich Basedow (1803-1879), a German landscape painter and etcher who specialized in depicting scenes from the Harz Mountains region of Germany. His works are highly regarded for their attention to detail and accurate portrayal of the natural landscapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basedow
Among Census respondents with the surname Basedow, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Basedow 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 Basedow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 111
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basedow
Basedow 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,713 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,713 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 5,775 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 Basedow 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 | #151,532 | #145,757 | 3.8% |
| Count | 108 | 115 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basedow bearers went from 108 to 115 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 5,775 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #145,757.
FAQ
Basedow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basedow?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Basedow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Basedow?
Basedow ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Basedow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Basedow.
Has Basedow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basedow went from 108 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Basedow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basedow, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Basedow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basedow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Basedow (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 Basedow mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone from the town of Basedow. 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 Basedow (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 have the last name Basedow?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Basedow at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.