2000
#10,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,741
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Bashaw
A commander or ruler, derived from the Turkish military title "pasha."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,667 Americans carry the last name Bashaw. That puts it at #12,677 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,517 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bashaw 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
2.7K
1 in 128,517
Census rank
#12,677
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,326 bearers of the surname Bashaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12677th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bashaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bashaw
The surname BASHAW is of Arabic origin, derived from the Turkish title "pasha" or "bashaw", which was used to refer to a high-ranking military or administrative officer in the Ottoman Empire. The name can be traced back to the 16th century, when the Ottoman Empire was at its peak.
BASHAW is believed to have emerged in regions that were once under Ottoman rule, such as parts of the Balkans, the Middle East, and North Africa. The name may have been adopted by individuals who held positions of authority or had connections to Ottoman officials.
In some historical accounts, the name BASHAW appears in records and manuscripts from the Ottoman period, although specific references are scarce due to the passage of time and the complexity of record-keeping during that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BASHAW can be found in the 17th century, when a man named Mustapha BASHAW lived in Algiers, serving as the Ottoman governor of the region from 1619 to 1624.
Another notable figure with the surname BASHAW was Sir John BASHAW (1625-1702), an English merchant and diplomat who played a significant role in negotiating trade agreements with the Ottoman Empire during the reign of King Charles II.
In the 18th century, a French military officer named François BASHAW (1730-1801) gained recognition for his service in the French Revolutionary Wars, rising to the rank of general in the French Army.
Towards the end of the 19th century, a prominent American businessman named Isaac BASHAW (1845-1918) made his mark in the textile industry, establishing several successful mills in New England.
Furthermore, the name BASHAW has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as "Basha" or "Bacha", which were derived from the same Turkish title and used in regions with Ottoman influence.
While the surname BASHAW has its roots in the Ottoman Empire, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals who have migrated or have ancestral connections to the regions where the name originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bashaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Bashaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bashaw 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 Bashaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,111
- Two or more races3.5% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 79
- Black or African American0.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bashaw
Bashaw 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
#10,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,904
+163 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 260 places
2020
#12,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,326
-578 bearers (-19.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,721 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,696 | 2,741 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,956 | 2,904 | 0.98 | +163 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 260 places |
| 2020 | #12,677 | 2,326 | 0.78 | -578 bearers (-19.9%) | Down 1,721 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 Bashaw 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 | #10,956 | #12,677 | -15.7% |
| Count | 2,904 | 2,326 | -19.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.78 | -20.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bashaw bearers went from 2,904 to 2,326 (-19.9% change). The surname moved down 1,721 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,956 to #12,677.
FAQ
Bashaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bashaw?
Name Census estimates that about 2,667 living Americans carry the surname Bashaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,517 residents.
How common is Bashaw?
Bashaw ranks #12,677 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,326 people with the surname Bashaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,667), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Bashaw.
Has Bashaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bashaw went from 2,904 recorded bearers to 2,326. That is a decrease of 578 (-19.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,956 to #12,677.
What does the Census say about the background of Bashaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bashaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Bashaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bashaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Bashaw (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 Bashaw mean?
A commander or ruler, derived from the Turkish military title "pasha." 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 Bashaw (0.78 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 share the surname Bashaw?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.