2000
#3,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,613
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.19
Rare Last name
Batson
An English occupational surname for a boatman or boat builder derived from the Old English "bat," meaning boat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,247 Americans carry the last name Batson. That puts it at #4,254 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,067 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Batson 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 Batson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,067
Census rank
#4,254
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,064 bearers of the surname Batson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4254th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Batson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Batson
The surname Batson is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bat," which referred to a bat or club used as a weapon, combined with the suffix "-son," indicating "son of." This suggests that the name may have originally belonged to the son of someone who made or used bats or clubs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Batson appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1194, where a Robert Bateson is mentioned. These rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Richard I.
The Batson name is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which were administrative records compiled for taxation purposes. In this record, a Johannes Bateson is listed as a landowner in the village of Woodstock.
During the 14th century, the surname Batson began to appear with various spellings, such as Bateson, Batyson, and Batysson. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling before the standardization of modern English.
One notable figure bearing the Batson surname was Sir William Batson (1553-1620), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the early 17th century. He was also a wealthy landowner and held the position of High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1610.
Another noteworthy individual was James Batson (1704-1775), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Bunwell in Norfolk. He published several works, including a commentary on the Book of Common Prayer.
In the 19th century, John Batson (1809-1886) was a prominent English architect who designed numerous churches and public buildings across the country, particularly in the Gothic Revival style. Some of his notable works include the Church of St. Mary in Nottingham and the Church of St. John the Baptist in Cardiff.
A famous literary figure with the Batson surname was Mary Batson (1768-1858), an English writer and novelist. She is best known for her novel "Constance de Beverley," published in 1798, which explored themes of female education and social expectations.
Finally, William Henry Batson (1833-1910) was a British explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in Australia. He is credited with discovering several new species of plants and animals during his expeditions in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Batson
Among Census respondents with the surname Batson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Batson 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 Batson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 5,991
- Black or African American17.8% · 1,434
- Two or more races3.7% · 301
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 242
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Batson
Batson 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
#3,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,951
+338 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#4,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,064
-887 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 282 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,778 | 8,613 | 3.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,972 | 8,951 | 3.03 | +338 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #4,254 | 8,064 | 2.70 | -887 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 282 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 Batson 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 | #3,972 | #4,254 | -7.1% |
| Count | 8,951 | 8,064 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.03 | 2.70 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Batson bearers went from 8,951 to 8,064 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 282 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,972 to #4,254.
FAQ
Batson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Batson?
Name Census estimates that about 9,247 living Americans carry the surname Batson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,067 residents.
How common is Batson?
Batson ranks #4,254 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,064 people with the surname Batson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,247), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Batson.
Has Batson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Batson went from 8,951 recorded bearers to 8,064. That is a decrease of 887 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,972 to #4,254.
What does the Census say about the background of Batson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Batson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Batson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (5,991 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Batson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Black (17.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Batson (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 Batson mean?
An English occupational surname for a boatman or boat builder derived from the Old English "bat," meaning boat. 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 Batson (2.70 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 are called Batson?
See how common the surname Batson is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.