Find out how popular the last name Bateson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bateson.

Bateson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bateson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bateson in America

Bateson is the 20818th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bateson surname appeared 1,268 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bateson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bateson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bateson

The surname Bateson is of English origin and derives from the Old English personal name "Bata" combined with the suffix "-son" meaning "son of." The name Bata is thought to have originated from the Old English word "bat," meaning "boat."

The name is believed to have first emerged in the North of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where it was common among families living near bodies of water or involved in maritime trades. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be early variations of the name Bateson, such as "Batus" and "Bate."

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Bateson was John Bateson, a merchant and landowner who lived in Yorkshire in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was William Bateson (1861-1926), a British biologist and geneticist who pioneered the study of genetics and was one of the first to popularize the term "genetics."

Other historical figures with the surname Bateson include Mary Bateson (1865-1906), an English historian and scholar known for her work on medieval religious movements, and Gregory Bateson (1904-1980), an English anthropologist, social scientist, and cyberneticist who made significant contributions to the study of communication and systems theory.

In the 16th century, the surname Bateson was also found in the village of Bateson, located in the West Riding of Yorkshire, suggesting a possible connection between the name and this place.

Throughout its history, the surname Bateson has been subject to various spellings, including Batteson, Battyson, and Batsone, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation and spelling over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bateson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bateson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bateson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bateson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bateson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bateson, please contact us.

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