2000
#5,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Batiste
A French occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold baptismal clothing or candles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,504 Americans carry the last name Batiste. That puts it at #5,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,676 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Batiste 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.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,676
Census rank
#5,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,544 bearers of the surname Batiste in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Batiste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Batiste
The surname Batiste originated in France during the medieval period. The name is derived from the French form of the given name "Baptiste," which itself comes from the Latin "Baptista," meaning "Baptist" or "one who baptizes." This given name was relatively common in France and other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages, often given to children baptized by particularly renowned clergymen.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Batiste can be found in the historic records of the Normandy region of northern France, dating back to the 12th century. These early references indicate that the name was initially concentrated in the areas around Caen and Rouen, though it later spread throughout the country.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the famous "Cartulary of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel," a collection of charters and documents related to the famous abbey located on an island off the coast of Normandy. The Cartulary mentions a "Robertus Batiste" who was a landowner in the region during that time.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the surname Batiste was Jean Batiste (c. 1430-1489), a French composer and singer who served as the master of choristers at the Cathedral of Cambrai in northern France during the 15th century.
Another prominent figure was Guillaume Batiste (1524-1584), a French Protestant theologian and minister who was a leading figure in the Reformed Church of France during the tumultuous years of the French Wars of Religion.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the French colony of Acadia (present-day Maritime provinces of Canada), with a "Pierre Batiste" listed as one of the earliest settlers in the region in 1636.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Batiste was Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687), the Italian-born French composer who was a pivotal figure in the development of French opera and the court composer for King Louis XIV.
Another notable Batiste was François Batiste (1670-1751), a French Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled extensively throughout North America, including the region around the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Valley.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Batiste
Among Census respondents with the surname Batiste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Batiste 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 Batiste surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.4% · 5,521
- Two or more races5.3% · 345
- White5.0% · 329
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 246
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Batiste
Batiste 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
#5,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,640
+650 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Up 102 places
2020
#5,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,544
-96 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Up 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,355 | 5,990 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,253 | 6,640 | 2.25 | +650 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 102 places |
| 2020 | #5,164 | 6,544 | 2.19 | -96 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 89 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 Batiste 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 | #5,253 | #5,164 | 1.7% |
| Count | 6,640 | 6,544 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.25 | 2.19 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Batiste bearers went from 6,640 to 6,544 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,253 to #5,164.
FAQ
Batiste surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Batiste?
Name Census estimates that about 7,504 living Americans carry the surname Batiste. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,676 residents.
How common is Batiste?
Batiste ranks #5,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,544 people with the surname Batiste. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,504), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Batiste.
Has Batiste become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Batiste went from 6,640 recorded bearers to 6,544. That is a decrease of 96 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,253 to #5,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Batiste?
Among Census respondents with the surname Batiste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Batiste in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (5,521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Batiste appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (84.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%), White (5.0%). 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 Batiste (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 Batiste mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold baptismal clothing or candles. 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 Batiste (2.19 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 Batiste?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.