2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bassingthwaite
English surname referring to someone from Bassingthwaite, a village in Westmorland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Bassingthwaite. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bassingthwaite 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Bassingthwaite in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bassingthwaite, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bassingthwaite
The surname Bassingthwaite is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name Bassingthwaite, a hamlet in the county of Cumbria, located near the picturesque Lake District.
The name Bassingthwaite is composed of two elements: "Bassing," which is believed to be a personal name of Anglo-Saxon origin, and "thwaite," an Old Norse word meaning "a clearing" or "a piece of land cleared of trees." This suggests that the name likely originated as a reference to someone who lived or owned land in the hamlet of Bassingthwaite.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bassingthwaite can be found in the Feet of Fines, a collection of legal records from the reign of King Edward III (1327-1377). In these records, a person named John de Bassingthwaite is mentioned in relation to a land transaction dated 1347.
Throughout history, the surname has appeared with various spellings, such as Bassingtwaite, Bassenthwaite, and Bassenthweight, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Bassingthwaite include:
1. Robert Bassingthwaite (c. 1550-1612), an English merchant and alderman in the City of London.
2. William Bassingthwaite (1692-1769), a prominent English clockmaker and watchmaker based in London.
3. James Bassingthwaite (1798-1873), a British architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the North of England.
4. Emily Bassingthwaite (1845-1912), an English novelist and poet, whose works often explored themes of social injustice and women's rights.
5. John Bassingthwaite (1901-1978), a British actor and theater director, known for his contributions to the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
While the surname Bassingthwaite may not be as widespread as some others, its rich history and connection to a specific geographical location in England make it a distinctive and interesting name with deep roots in the country's past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bassingthwaite
Among Census respondents with the surname Bassingthwaite, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bassingthwaite 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 Bassingthwaite surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 103
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bassingthwaite
Bassingthwaite appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 247 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 Bassingthwaite 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 | #150,452 | #150,205 | 0.2% |
| Count | 109 | 109 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bassingthwaite bearers went from 109 to 109 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #150,205.
FAQ
Bassingthwaite surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bassingthwaite?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Bassingthwaite. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Bassingthwaite?
Bassingthwaite ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Bassingthwaite. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Bassingthwaite.
Has Bassingthwaite become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bassingthwaite went from 109 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Bassingthwaite?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bassingthwaite, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Bassingthwaite in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bassingthwaite appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Black (1.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Bassingthwaite (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 Bassingthwaite mean?
English surname referring to someone from Bassingthwaite, a village in Westmorland. 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 Bassingthwaite (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 are called Bassingthwaite?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Bassingthwaite on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.