2000
#4,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.42
Rare Last name
Baskin
Derived from a Yiddish nickname meaning "son of Baske," with Baske being a pet form of the name Bathsheba.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,428 Americans carry the last name Baskin. That puts it at #5,208 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baskin 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
7.4K
1 in 46,144
Census rank
#5,208
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,478 bearers of the surname Baskin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5208th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (37.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baskin
The surname Baskin is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "baec" and "hus," which together mean "bakehouse" or a place where baking is done. The name likely referred to someone who worked in a bakehouse or lived near one.
One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Bakinus" and refers to a landowner or tenant. This suggests that the Baskin surname has existed for over 900 years.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Bakyn, Bakun, and Bakyne, reflecting the evolving nature of the English language at the time. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the individual scribes who recorded the names.
In the 16th century, the name started to take its modern form of Baskin, and it became more widely distributed across England. One notable individual from this period was Richard Baskin (c. 1530-1590), a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
As the name spread, it also became associated with certain place names, such as Baskin Ridge in New Jersey, USA, which was named after a family of Baskins who settled there in the 18th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Baskin include:
1. John Baskin (1640-1720), an English Quaker preacher and writer.
2. Sir Robert Baskin (1725-1801), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
3. Elizabeth Baskin (1783-1865), an American pioneer and author who wrote about life on the frontier.
4. Thomas Baskin (1819-1895), a Scottish-born businessman and philanthropist who settled in Canada.
5. Forrest Baskin (1905-1997), an American businessman and co-founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream chain.
The Baskin surname has a rich history spanning centuries and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, military personnel, writers, and entrepreneurs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baskin
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (37.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Baskin 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 Baskin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.5% · 3,530
- Black or African American37.0% · 2,395
- Two or more races4.8% · 313
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baskin
Baskin 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
#4,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,389
+852 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Up 151 places
2020
#5,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,478
-911 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 422 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,937 | 6,537 | 2.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,786 | 7,389 | 2.50 | +852 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 151 places |
| 2020 | #5,208 | 6,478 | 2.17 | -911 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 422 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 Baskin 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 | #4,786 | #5,208 | -8.8% |
| Count | 7,389 | 6,478 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.50 | 2.17 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baskin bearers went from 7,389 to 6,478 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 422 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,786 to #5,208.
FAQ
Baskin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baskin?
Name Census estimates that about 7,428 living Americans carry the surname Baskin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,144 residents.
How common is Baskin?
Baskin ranks #5,208 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,478 people with the surname Baskin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,428), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Baskin.
Has Baskin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baskin went from 7,389 recorded bearers to 6,478. That is a decrease of 911 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,786 to #5,208.
What does the Census say about the background of Baskin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (37.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Baskin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (3,530 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baskin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.5%), Black (37.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Baskin (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 Baskin mean?
Derived from a Yiddish nickname meaning "son of Baske," with Baske being a pet form of the name Bathsheba. 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 Baskin (2.17 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 people share the surname Baskin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.