2000
#7,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Baucom
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English words "bēam" (tree) and "comb" (valley), referring to a person living in a tree-filled valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,981 Americans carry the last name Baucom. That puts it at #7,400 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,812 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baucom 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
5.0K
1 in 68,812
Census rank
#7,400
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,344 bearers of the surname Baucom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7400th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baucom, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baucom
The surname Baucom is believed to have originated in the region of Occitania in southern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Occitan word "bauc," which means "reddish-brown" or "chestnut." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with reddish-brown hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Catalan census records from the 13th century, where it appears as "Baucoms." This spelling variation likely emerged as a result of the linguistic evolution of the name as it spread across different regions of southern France and parts of Spain.
In the 14th century, the name Baucom is documented in the medieval records of the city of Montpellier, where it is listed as "Baucomps." This spelling reflects the influence of the local Occitan dialect, which often added an extra consonant sound to the end of words.
During the 16th century, the Baucom family is believed to have migrated from southern France to the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. This is evidenced by the appearance of the name "Baucom" in the municipal records of Barcelona and other Catalan towns.
One notable individual bearing the Baucom surname was Jean Baucom (1567-1631), a French merchant and explorer from Marseille. He is known for his travels to the Levant region and his writings about the customs and cultures of the Middle East.
Another prominent figure was Marie Baucom (1625-1701), a French Huguenot who fled religious persecution and settled in the Netherlands. She became a prominent figure in the Dutch Huguenot community and played a role in establishing a Huguenot church in Amsterdam.
In the 18th century, the Baucom family migrated from France and Spain to the Americas, with some members settling in Louisiana and other parts of the French Caribbean colonies. One such individual was Pierre Baucom (1723-1789), a French colonist who established a plantation in Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti).
During the 19th century, the Baucom name can be found in various records across Europe and the Americas. For example, Jacques Baucom (1812-1887) was a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer who traveled extensively in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
Another notable figure was Isabelle Baucom (1842-1917), a Spanish author and educator who wrote extensively on the history and culture of Catalonia. Her works played a significant role in preserving and promoting the Catalan language and identity during a period of political turmoil in Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baucom
Among Census respondents with the surname Baucom, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Baucom 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 Baucom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 3,742
- Black or African American6.1% · 265
- Two or more races3.7% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baucom
Baucom 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
#7,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,696
+336 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#7,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,344
-352 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 276 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,077 | 4,360 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,124 | 4,696 | 1.59 | +336 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #7,400 | 4,344 | 1.45 | -352 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 276 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 Baucom 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 | #7,124 | #7,400 | -3.9% |
| Count | 4,696 | 4,344 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.45 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baucom bearers went from 4,696 to 4,344 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 276 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,124 to #7,400.
FAQ
Baucom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baucom?
Name Census estimates that about 4,981 living Americans carry the surname Baucom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,812 residents.
How common is Baucom?
Baucom ranks #7,400 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,344 people with the surname Baucom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,981), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Baucom.
Has Baucom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baucom went from 4,696 recorded bearers to 4,344. That is a decrease of 352 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,124 to #7,400.
What does the Census say about the background of Baucom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baucom, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) 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 Baucom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (3,742 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baucom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (6.1%), 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 Baucom (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 Baucom mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English words "bēam" (tree) and "comb" (valley), referring to a person living in a tree-filled valley. 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 Baucom (1.45 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 common is the surname Baucom?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Baucom on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.