2000
#10,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,742
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Bath
An English locational surname derived from the city of Bath in Somerset, known for its ancient Roman baths.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,132 Americans carry the last name Bath. That puts it at #11,095 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,436 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bath 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 Bath with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,436
Census rank
#11,095
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,731 bearers of the surname Bath in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11095th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bath, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bath
The surname Bath originated in England and dates back to the medieval era. The name is derived from the Old English word 'bæth', which means 'bath' or 'place of bathing'. It likely referred to someone who lived near a natural hot spring or a bathhouse.
The name Bath has its roots in the historic city of Bath in Somerset, England, which was known as 'Aquae Sulis' during Roman times. This ancient city was renowned for its natural hot springs and Roman baths, which were a popular destination for travelers and residents alike.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror, the city of Bath is mentioned as 'Batha'. This early record provides evidence of the name's long-standing association with the area.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bath was William de Batha, who lived in Somerset during the 13th century. Another notable figure was John Bath, a wealthy merchant and alderman of London, who was born in the city of Bath around 1450.
Sir John Bath, born in 1528, was a prominent English diplomat and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and ambassador to France during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Blois in 1572.
In the literary world, Walter Bath (1620-1696) was an English poet and physician who wrote several works, including "The Art of Angling" and "The Spiritual Quixote".
The name Bath has also been associated with the titled nobility, such as the Marquesses of Bath. The first Marquess of Bath was John Granville, who was born in 1628 and served as a politician and courtier during the reigns of Charles II and James II.
Throughout history, the surname Bath has been linked to various locations and place names, including Bath in Somerset, Bath in Gloucestershire, and Bath in Wiltshire, among others. Variations in spelling, such as Bathe, Bathes, and Bathes, have also been recorded over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bath
Among Census respondents with the surname Bath, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bath 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 Bath surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 1,997
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.6% · 535
- Two or more races3.1% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 64
- Black or African American1.6% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bath
Bath 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
#10,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,945
+203 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#11,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,731
-214 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,692 | 2,742 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,815 | 2,945 | 1.00 | +203 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #11,095 | 2,731 | 0.91 | -214 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 280 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 Bath 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 | #10,815 | #11,095 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,945 | 2,731 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.91 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bath bearers went from 2,945 to 2,731 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 280 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,815 to #11,095.
FAQ
Bath surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bath?
Name Census estimates that about 3,132 living Americans carry the surname Bath. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,436 residents.
How common is Bath?
Bath ranks #11,095 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,731 people with the surname Bath. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Bath.
Has Bath become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bath went from 2,945 recorded bearers to 2,731. That is a decrease of 214 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,815 to #11,095.
What does the Census say about the background of Bath?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bath, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bath in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (1,997 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bath appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bath (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 Bath mean?
An English locational surname derived from the city of Bath in Somerset, known for its ancient Roman baths. 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 Bath (0.91 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 Bath?
Find out how many people have the last name Bath on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.