2000
#8,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Baskerville
An English locational surname derived from the town of Baskerville in Herefordshire, meaning "Bosgere's stream" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,016 Americans carry the last name Baskerville. That puts it at #8,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baskerville 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Baskerville with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,347
Census rank
#8,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,502 bearers of the surname Baskerville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskerville, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.8%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baskerville
The surname Baskerville originates from the English county of Herefordshire, near the border with Wales. It is derived from the Old English words "bæcc" meaning "ridge" and "villa" meaning "farm" or "settlement", indicating that the earliest bearers of this name lived near a ridged area or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Baskerville name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Bascvilla" in Herefordshire. This suggests that the name had already been in use for some time before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the Baskerville family was prominent in Herefordshire and neighboring counties. They owned lands and estates in the region, and some members served as knights and local officials. One notable individual was Sir John Baskerville (c. 1286-1347), who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Edward III.
In the 16th century, the Baskerville family gained further prominence with John Baskerville (1706-1775), a renowned printer, type designer, and innovator in the printing industry. His typefaces and printing techniques were widely admired and influential, and he is considered one of the greatest typographers of all time.
Another famous bearer of the Baskerville name was Sir Walter Baskerville (1775-1868), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament. He is also remembered for his efforts in promoting agricultural improvements and education in Herefordshire.
The Baskerville name has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Baskerville Court in Herefordshire and Baskerville Hall in Worcestershire. These locations likely took their names from the family's landholdings and residences in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the Baskerville surname include Ralph Baskerville (1884-1961), an English cricketer who played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club, and Charles Baskerville (1870-1922), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Delaware.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baskerville
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskerville, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.8%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Baskerville 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 Baskerville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American66.8% · 2,341
- White21.8% · 764
- Two or more races6.7% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baskerville
Baskerville 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
#8,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,755
+331 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 74 places
2020
#8,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,502
-253 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,808 | 3,424 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,734 | 3,755 | 1.27 | +331 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 74 places |
| 2020 | #8,969 | 3,502 | 1.17 | -253 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 235 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 Baskerville 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 | #8,734 | #8,969 | -2.7% |
| Count | 3,755 | 3,502 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.17 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baskerville bearers went from 3,755 to 3,502 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 235 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,734 to #8,969.
FAQ
Baskerville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baskerville?
Name Census estimates that about 4,016 living Americans carry the surname Baskerville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,347 residents.
How common is Baskerville?
Baskerville ranks #8,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,502 people with the surname Baskerville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,016), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Baskerville.
Has Baskerville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baskerville went from 3,755 recorded bearers to 3,502. That is a decrease of 253 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,734 to #8,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Baskerville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskerville, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.8%) and Two or More Races (6.7%). 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 Baskerville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.8% (2,341 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baskerville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (66.8%), White (21.8%), Two or More Races (6.7%). 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 Baskerville (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 Baskerville mean?
An English locational surname derived from the town of Baskerville in Herefordshire, meaning "Bosgere's stream" in Old English. 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 Baskerville (1.17 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 Americans have the surname Baskerville?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.