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

Batts, 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 Batts surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Batts in America

Batts is the 4179th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Batts surname appeared 8,473 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Batts.

We can also compare 2010 data for Batts 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.

The history of the last name Batts

The surname Batts is of English origin, arising during the medieval period in Britain. It is derived from the Old English word "bat," which referred to a type of club or staff carried by travelers and workers. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who habitually carried such a staff or perhaps worked with bats or clubs in their trade.

One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Batts can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, which mentions a Roger le Batt. The "le" prefix indicates the name was initially a descriptive byname before becoming a hereditary surname over time.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings such as Batte, Batt, and Bate in historical records across different regions of England, including Essex, Sussex, and Somerset. The variation in spelling was common during this period before standardized spellings emerged.

A notable early bearer of the name was John Batt, a 14th-century English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1379. Another early example is Richard Batt, a 15th-century English landowner and member of the gentry from Wiltshire, who was born around 1420.

In the 16th century, the surname Batts appeared in the parish records of Dorset, where a William Batts was recorded as a resident of Sherborne in 1567. Around the same time, a John Batts was listed as a landowner in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1572.

One of the earliest known instances of the surname in North America dates back to the 17th century, when Thomas Batts, an English settler, arrived in Virginia in 1635. He later became a prominent landowner and served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.

Other notable historical figures with the surname Batts include Reverend Thomas Batts (1689-1768), an English clergyman and antiquarian who served as the rector of Bremhill in Wiltshire, and John Batts (1758-1832), an English engraver and artist known for his landscapes and architectural prints.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Batts

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

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 Batts was:

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 Batts has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Batts was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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