Batt last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Batt is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Batt.

Meaning of Batt

An English occupational surname referring to a maker or user of cudgels, or a nickname for a stout person.

Batt, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Batt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Batt in America

Batt is the 9026th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Batt surname appeared 3,622 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Batt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Batt to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9026 8532 5.63%
Count 3,622 3,557 1.81%
Proportion per 100k 1.23 1.32 -7.06%

The history of the last name Batt

The surname Batt is derived from an Old French nickname, which means "the bat." This nickname likely referred to a person who was active at night or who might have had some physical resemblance to a bat. The name is of French origin and dates back to the medieval era.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Batt can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book lists several individuals with the surname Batt, indicating that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Batt was concentrated in the southern regions of England, particularly in the counties of Dorset, Somerset, and Devon. The name was also found in various locations across Normandy, France, as well as in other parts of Europe where French influence was strong.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Batt was Sir John Batt, a prominent English knight who lived during the 13th century. He was a landowner in Somerset and played a significant role in the local affairs of the region.

Another notable individual with the surname Batt was Roger Batt, born in 1455 in Dorset, England. He was a successful merchant and served as the Sheriff of Dorchester in 1490.

In the 16th century, a family of Batts resided in the village of Piddletrenthide, Dorset. One of their descendants, William Batt, born in 1586, was a renowned clockmaker and is credited with creating some of the earliest pendulum clocks in England.

In the 17th century, John Batt, born in 1620 in Somerset, was a influential Puritan minister and author. He wrote several theological works and played a significant role in the religious debates of his time.

During the 18th century, the surname Batt was particularly prevalent in the town of Sherborne, Dorset. One notable figure was Thomas Batt, born in 1741, who was a respected local historian and authored a book on the history of Sherborne.

Throughout its history, the surname Batt has been associated with various place names, such as Batt's Corner in Somerset and Batt's Farm in Dorset. These place names likely derived from individuals or families with the surname Batt who resided in or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Batt

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Batt.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Batt was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 87.88% 3,183
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.29% 83
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.88% 68
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.68% 61
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.63% 59
Hispanic Origin 4.64% 168

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Batt has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 87.88% 89.40% -1.71%
Black 2.29% 2.81% -20.39%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.88% 1.10% 52.35%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.68% 1.69% -0.59%
Two or More Races 1.63% 1.46% 11.00%
Hispanic 4.64% 3.54% 26.89%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Batt was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Batt, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Batt last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/batt-surname-popularity/.

"Batt last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/batt-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Batt last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/batt-surname-popularity/.

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