2000
#9,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Batey
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "island near a river crossing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,452 Americans carry the last name Batey. That puts it at #10,191 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Batey 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 Batey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 99,292
Census rank
#10,191
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,010 bearers of the surname Batey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10191st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Batey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Batey
The surname Batey is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Derbyshire, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "bæt," meaning a boat, and the suffix "-ey," indicating a dwelling or homestead. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a boat landing or dwelled near a body of water where boats were present.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Batey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Batehi." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England at the time. The presence of the name in this historical record indicates its long-standing presence in the region.
In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Batai" and "Bataie," further solidifying its connection to the Old English roots. During this period, the surname was primarily concentrated in the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, where many families bearing the name lived and worked.
One notable bearer of the Batey surname was John Batey, a Yorkshire-born clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He served as the Rector of Rothwell, a parish in the West Riding of Yorkshire, from 1583 until his death in 1608. Another individual of note was William Batey, a 17th-century cartographer and surveyor who produced maps of various counties in England, including Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
In the 18th century, the Batey family expanded beyond their traditional strongholds, with members settling in other parts of England and even venturing to the American colonies. One such individual was Thomas Batey, born in 1712 in Derbyshire, who emigrated to Virginia in the 1730s and established a successful tobacco plantation.
Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Batey, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. Born in 1789 in Nottinghamshire, he distinguished himself in several battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and rose through the ranks to become a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy.
As the centuries progressed, the Batey surname continued to spread, with families establishing roots in various parts of the British Isles and beyond. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its origins remain firmly rooted in the historic counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, where the descendants of those who lived near the boats and waterways of old still carry on the Batey legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Batey
Among Census respondents with the surname Batey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Batey 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 Batey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 2,131
- Black or African American20.0% · 602
- Two or more races4.3% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Batey
Batey 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
#9,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,298
+70 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 535 places
2020
#10,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,010
-288 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,283 | 3,228 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,818 | 3,298 | 1.12 | +70 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 535 places |
| 2020 | #10,191 | 3,010 | 1.01 | -288 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 373 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 Batey 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 | #9,818 | #10,191 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,298 | 3,010 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.01 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Batey bearers went from 3,298 to 3,010 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 373 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,818 to #10,191.
FAQ
Batey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Batey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,452 living Americans carry the surname Batey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,292 residents.
How common is Batey?
Batey ranks #10,191 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,010 people with the surname Batey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Batey.
Has Batey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Batey went from 3,298 recorded bearers to 3,010. That is a decrease of 288 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,818 to #10,191.
What does the Census say about the background of Batey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Batey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Batey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (2,131 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Batey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.8%), Black (20.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Batey (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 Batey mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "island near a river crossing." 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 Batey (1.01 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 have the last name Batey?
If you just want to know how many people are called Batey, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.