2000
#2,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,095
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.85
Uncommon Last name
Batista
A Portuguese and Spanish occupational surname referring to one who baptizes or a textile worker who whitens cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,483 Americans carry the last name Batista. That puts it at #1,713 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Batista 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 Batista with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,596
Census rank
#1,713
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,478 bearers of the surname Batista in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1713th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Batista, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.2%) and Black (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Batista
The surname Batista originated in Spain and Portugal, derived from the Latin name 'Baptista' meaning 'baptist' or 'one who baptizes'. It first appeared as a surname in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century.
The name has its roots in the Christian tradition, as it was often given to those who were baptized or who performed baptisms. In some cases, the surname may have been adopted by individuals who lived near a church or monastery dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Batista can be found in the Catalan region of Spain, where a man named Ramon Batista is mentioned in a document from the year 1235. Another early reference comes from Portugal, where a certain Afonso Batista is recorded as a landowner in the city of Coimbra in the 14th century.
During the Age of Exploration, the surname Batista was carried by Portuguese and Spanish explorers and settlers to various parts of the world, including Latin America and the Caribbean. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973), a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and again from 1952 to 1959.
2. Juan Batista de Anza (1736-1788), a Spanish explorer and governor of New Mexico who led several expeditions to establish settlements in present-day California.
3. Domingo Batista (fl. 16th century), a Portuguese merchant and explorer who was one of the first Europeans to visit present-day South Africa.
4. José Batista y Cepeda (1765-1844), a Spanish military officer and political leader who served as the President of the State of Panama during the early years of its independence from Colombia.
5. Enrique Batista (1892-1971), a Cuban painter and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes from everyday life in Cuba.
In some regions, the surname Batista may have evolved into other spellings or variations, such as Bautista or Bautizo, reflecting the different ways in which the name was pronounced or recorded over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Batista
Among Census respondents with the surname Batista, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.2%) and Black (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Batista 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 Batista surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.4% · 16,456
- White16.2% · 3,318
- Black or African American2.1% · 434
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 138
- Two or more races0.5% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Batista
Batista 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
#1,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,323
+5,228 bearers (+39.9%)
Per 100,000 6.21
Rank movement Up 556 places
2020
#1,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,478
+2,155 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 6.85
Rank movement Up 261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,530 | 13,095 | 4.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,974 | 18,323 | 6.21 | +5,228 bearers (+39.9%) | Up 556 places |
| 2020 | #1,713 | 20,478 | 6.85 | +2,155 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 261 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 Batista 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 | #1,974 | #1,713 | 13.2% |
| Count | 18,323 | 20,478 | 11.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.21 | 6.85 | 10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Batista bearers went from 18,323 to 20,478 (+11.8% change). The surname moved up 261 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,974 to #1,713.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Batista
FAQ
Batista surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Batista?
Name Census estimates that about 23,483 living Americans carry the surname Batista. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,596 residents.
How common is Batista?
Batista ranks #1,713 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,478 people with the surname Batista. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,483), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Batista.
Has Batista become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Batista went from 18,323 recorded bearers to 20,478. That is an increase of 2,155 (+11.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,974 to #1,713.
What does the Census say about the background of Batista?
Among Census respondents with the surname Batista, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.4%. The next largest groups are White (16.2%) and Black (2.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Batista in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (16,456 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Batista appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (80.4%), White (16.2%), Black (2.1%). 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 Batista (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 Batista mean?
A Portuguese and Spanish occupational surname referring to one who baptizes or a textile worker who whitens cloth. 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 Batista (6.85 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 surname Batista?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.