2000
#11,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,577
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Bastien
A French surname derived from the given name Sébastien, meaning "from Sebastia" (a city in ancient Armenia).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,743 Americans carry the last name Bastien. That puts it at #9,527 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bastien 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 Bastien with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,572
Census rank
#9,527
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,264 bearers of the surname Bastien in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9527th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastien, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bastien
The surname Bastien has its origins in France, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French personal name "Sebastien," which itself traces back to the Late Latin name "Sebastianus" or the Ancient Greek name "Sebastianos." The name is thought to have originated from the Greek word "sebastos," meaning "venerable" or "revered."
In its early years, the name Bastien was predominantly found in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. It is documented in various historical records from the 11th and 12th centuries, including the Domesday Book, which recorded land holdings in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Gervais Bastien, a Norman knight who accompanied William the Conqueror during the invasion of England in 1066. Gervais Bastien was granted lands in Hertfordshire, England, and his descendants continued to use the surname in the following centuries.
Another notable figure was Jehan Bastien, a French cleric and scholar who lived in the 13th century. He was known for his work on canon law and served as a prominent advisor to King Louis IX of France.
In the 14th century, the name Bastien appeared in several historical documents related to the Hundred Years' War between England and France. For instance, a certain Guillaume Bastien was listed as a soldier in the French army during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
During the Renaissance period, the name Bastien gained prominence in the arts and literature. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Bastien Lepage, a French painter and sculptor who lived from 1848 to 1884. His works, such as "The Hay Harvest" and "The Wood Nymph," were highly regarded and influenced the Naturalist movement in art.
Another notable figure was François Bastien, a French philosopher and writer who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his works on ethics and political philosophy, and his writings were influential during the French Enlightenment.
In more recent times, the name Bastien has been associated with several prominent individuals, including Bastien Vivès, a contemporary French comic book artist and writer, and Bastien Vives, a French professional tennis player who competed in the early 2000s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bastien
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastien, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bastien 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 Bastien surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.9% · 1,530
- Black or African American43.0% · 1,402
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 196
- Two or more races2.8% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bastien
Bastien 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
#10,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,136
+559 bearers (+21.7%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 980 places
2020
#9,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,264
+128 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,260 | 2,577 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,280 | 3,136 | 1.06 | +559 bearers (+21.7%) | Up 980 places |
| 2020 | #9,527 | 3,264 | 1.09 | +128 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 753 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 Bastien 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 | #10,280 | #9,527 | 7.3% |
| Count | 3,136 | 3,264 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.09 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bastien bearers went from 3,136 to 3,264 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 753 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,280 to #9,527.
FAQ
Bastien surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bastien?
Name Census estimates that about 3,743 living Americans carry the surname Bastien. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,572 residents.
How common is Bastien?
Bastien ranks #9,527 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,264 people with the surname Bastien. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,743), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Bastien.
Has Bastien become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bastien went from 3,136 recorded bearers to 3,264. That is an increase of 128 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,280 to #9,527.
What does the Census say about the background of Bastien?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bastien, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Black (43.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%). 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 Bastien in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.9% (1,530 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bastien appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.9%), Black (43.0%), Hispanic (6.0%). 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 Bastien (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 Bastien mean?
A French surname derived from the given name Sébastien, meaning "from Sebastia" (a city in ancient Armenia). 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 Bastien (1.09 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 Bastien?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.