2000
#12,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Baughn
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bush-covered hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,452 Americans carry the last name Baughn. That puts it at #13,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,786 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baughn 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
2.5K
1 in 139,786
Census rank
#13,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,138 bearers of the surname Baughn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baughn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baughn
The surname Baughn originates from Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Baugh," which means "dweller at a small brook or stream." The name was most prevalent in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Baughn can be found in the church records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Hans Baughn was mentioned in 1568. Another notable early reference is in the Palatine Immigration records, which document several Baughn families arriving in Pennsylvania from the Palatinate region of Germany in the early 18th century.
In the 17th century, a Johannes Baughn was recorded as a landowner in the village of Grünbach, near the city of Aschaffenburg. This suggests that the Baughn family had established roots in the region and may have been involved in agriculture or land management.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Baughn was Johann Georg Baughn (1701-1782), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Schmalkalden in Thuringia. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after and can be found in several museums across Europe.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Baughn (1786-1863), a German military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected military strategist and author. His treatises on tactics and strategy were influential in shaping military doctrine in the 19th century.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Baughn surname was that of Jacob Baughn (1732-1812), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and fought in the American Revolutionary War. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, contributing to the diverse tapestry of American society.
Other notable individuals with the surname Baughn include:
1. Elizabeth Baughn (1820-1901), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools in Ohio.
2. Charles Baughn (1873-1942), a British politician and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Sunderland from 1922 to 1931.
3. Heinrich Baughn (1901-1985), a German-born American architect known for his innovative designs and use of modernist principles.
4. Elise Baughn (1924-2008), a French artist and sculptor whose works focused on abstract forms and the exploration of negative space.
5. Robert Baughn (1957-present), an American business executive and philanthropist, who served as the CEO of a major technology company and established several charitable foundations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baughn
Among Census respondents with the surname Baughn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Baughn 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 Baughn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 1,871
- Black or African American4.6% · 98
- Two or more races3.9% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baughn
Baughn 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
#13,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,299
+47 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 656 places
2020
#13,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,138
-161 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 316 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,611 | 2,252 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,267 | 2,299 | 0.78 | +47 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 656 places |
| 2020 | #13,583 | 2,138 | 0.72 | -161 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 316 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 Baughn 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 | #13,267 | #13,583 | -2.4% |
| Count | 2,299 | 2,138 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.72 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baughn bearers went from 2,299 to 2,138 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 316 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,267 to #13,583.
FAQ
Baughn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baughn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,452 living Americans carry the surname Baughn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,786 residents.
How common is Baughn?
Baughn ranks #13,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,138 people with the surname Baughn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Baughn.
Has Baughn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baughn went from 2,299 recorded bearers to 2,138. That is a decrease of 161 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,267 to #13,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Baughn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baughn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Baughn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (1,871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baughn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Baughn (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 Baughn mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bush-covered hill." 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 Baughn (0.72 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 Baughn?
See how many people are called Baughn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.