2000
#11,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,605
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Baynes
A locational surname derived from the Old English words "bēgen" meaning berry and "ēg" meaning island, referring to someone who lived on a berry island.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,256 Americans carry the last name Baynes. That puts it at #10,740 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baynes 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 Baynes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 105,269
Census rank
#10,740
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,839 bearers of the surname Baynes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10740th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baynes
The surname Baynes originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "bain," meaning "bath" or "bathing place." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a bath or a bathing area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Yorkshire, dating back to 1273, where it is spelled "Bayn." The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 also mention a William de Bayn, indicating the name's presence in different regions of England during that time period.
The Baynes surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Baines and Baines Ghyll in Yorkshire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname in those areas.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in records such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1544, which mentions a John Baynes. During this period, variations in spelling, including Baines, Banes, and Baynes, became more common.
Notable individuals with the surname Baynes include:
1. Roger Baynes (c. 1546-1623), an English theologian and academic who served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
2. Sir Thomas Baynes (1605-1676), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1667.
3. Ralph Baynes (1756-1828), an English artist and engraver known for his portraits and landscapes.
4. Edward Baynes (1784-1867), a British army officer who served in the Peninsular War and the Crimean War.
5. John Baynes (1758-1787), an English poet and playwright who wrote several works, including "The Dramatic Works of John Baynes" (1787).
While the Baynes surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of migration and settlement patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baynes
Among Census respondents with the surname Baynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Baynes 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 Baynes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.9% · 1,586
- Black or African American37.2% · 1,056
- Two or more races4.2% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baynes
Baynes 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
#10,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,215
+610 bearers (+23.4%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 1,146 places
2020
#10,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,839
-376 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 717 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,169 | 2,605 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,023 | 3,215 | 1.09 | +610 bearers (+23.4%) | Up 1,146 places |
| 2020 | #10,740 | 2,839 | 0.95 | -376 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 717 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 Baynes 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 | #10,023 | #10,740 | -7.2% |
| Count | 3,215 | 2,839 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.95 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baynes bearers went from 3,215 to 2,839 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 717 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,023 to #10,740.
FAQ
Baynes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baynes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,256 living Americans carry the surname Baynes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,269 residents.
How common is Baynes?
Baynes ranks #10,740 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,839 people with the surname Baynes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,256), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Baynes.
Has Baynes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baynes went from 3,215 recorded bearers to 2,839. That is a decrease of 376 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,023 to #10,740.
What does the Census say about the background of Baynes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Baynes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.9% (1,586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baynes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.9%), Black (37.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Baynes (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 Baynes mean?
A locational surname derived from the Old English words "bēgen" meaning berry and "ēg" meaning island, referring to someone who lived on a berry island. 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 Baynes (0.95 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 have the surname Baynes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.