2000
#13,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Bayes
An English and Scottish locational surname derived from various places in England and Scotland named Baye or Bathe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,125 Americans carry the last name Bayes. That puts it at #15,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bayes 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bayes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,296
Census rank
#15,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,853 bearers of the surname Bayes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bayes
The surname Bayes originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "bai", meaning reddish-brown, and was likely given as a nickname to someone with reddish-brown hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "William le Bay". This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive byname before becoming a hereditary surname.
In the 14th century, the name was also found in various forms, such as "Bayes" and "Bays", in records from counties like Somerset, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. This indicates that the name had spread across different regions of England during this period.
The Bayes surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent was Thomas Bayes (c. 1701–1761), an English mathematician and Presbyterian minister, who is best known for formulating Bayes' theorem, a fundamental concept in probability theory and statistics.
Another notable figure was Walter Bayes (1592–1633), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Bramfield in Suffolk. He published several works, including "A Summary of Pious Meditations" and "The Mistery of Beholding the Serpents" in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, William Bayes (1708–1773) was a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Infirmary and the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Oxford.
During the 19th century, Samuel Bayes (1822–1887) was a British botanist and author who wrote extensively on the flora of Yorkshire and published works such as "The Yorkshire Floras" and "The Phanerogams of Yorkshire".
Another notable bearer of the surname was Ralph Bayes (1867–1938), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and represented England in Test matches against Australia and South Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bayes
Among Census respondents with the surname Bayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bayes 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 Bayes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 1,592
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 94
- Two or more races3.8% · 71
- Black or African American3.8% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bayes
Bayes 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
#14,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
-80 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,394 places
2020
#15,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
-166 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,319 | 2,099 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,713 | 2,019 | 0.68 | -80 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 1,394 places |
| 2020 | #15,248 | 1,853 | 0.62 | -166 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 535 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 Bayes 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 | #14,713 | #15,248 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,019 | 1,853 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bayes bearers went from 2,019 to 1,853 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 535 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,713 to #15,248.
FAQ
Bayes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bayes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,125 living Americans carry the surname Bayes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,296 residents.
How common is Bayes?
Bayes ranks #15,248 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,853 people with the surname Bayes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Bayes.
Has Bayes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bayes went from 2,019 recorded bearers to 1,853. That is a decrease of 166 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,713 to #15,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Bayes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bayes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Bayes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (1,592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bayes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Bayes (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 Bayes mean?
An English and Scottish locational surname derived from various places in England and Scotland named Baye or Bathe. 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 Bayes (0.62 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 Americans have the surname Bayes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.