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

Baum, 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 Baum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Baum in America

Baum is the 2230th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Baum surname appeared 16,334 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Baum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Baum 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 Baum

The surname Baum is of German origin, derived from the German word "Baum," which means "tree." It is thought to have originated as a descriptive surname, likely referring to someone who lived near a notable tree or forest.

The earliest known recorded instances of the name Baum date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. In 1295, a Henrich Boum was mentioned in records from the town of Meiningen, in the modern-day state of Thuringia. Around the same time, a Conradus dictus Boum was recorded in the town of Schlitz, in the state of Hesse.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Baume, Bawm, and Bawme, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. The name was also sometimes associated with place names containing the word "Baum," such as Baumgarten (meaning "tree garden") or Baumbach (meaning "tree stream").

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Baum was Johann Baum, a German theologian and reformer born in Nuremberg in 1515. He played a role in the Protestant Reformation and was a contemporary of Martin Luther.

Another historical figure with the surname Baum was Johann Wilhelm Baum, a German botanist and botanographer born in 1719. He is known for his work in cataloging and describing plant species, particularly in the genus Rubus (the raspberry and blackberry family).

In the 19th century, the name Baum was borne by several notable individuals, including the German-American writer and editor Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919), best known as the author of the beloved children's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Another 19th-century figure was the German politician and statesman Ludwig Bamberger (1823-1899), who served as a member of the Reichstag and played a prominent role in the unification of Germany.

In the arts, the name Baum is associated with the German expressionist painter and printmaker Sonia Delaunay-Terk (née Baum, 1885-1979), a co-founder of the Orphism art movement and a pioneering figure in abstract art.

Throughout history, the surname Baum has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, politicians, and others who have made significant contributions to their respective fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Baum

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

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

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

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