2000
#8,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,469
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Bazemore
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "beseur," meaning "woodcutter" or "wood carver."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,945 Americans carry the last name Bazemore. That puts it at #9,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,883 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bazemore 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
3.9K
1 in 86,883
Census rank
#9,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,440 bearers of the surname Bazemore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bazemore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (45.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bazemore
The surname Bazemore has its origins in England, tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon era around the 5th to 11th centuries. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "baes" and "mor," meaning a meadow overgrown with brushwood or brambles. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on such a meadow.
Variations of the spelling, such as Bazmore, Baizmore, and Bazemoor, can be found in historical records from different regions of England. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it is recorded as "Basemor."
In the Domesday Book, a great survey of land and property compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there is a mention of a place called "Basmere" in Norfolk, which may be related to the origin of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Bazemore throughout history include John Bazemore, a landowner in Essex, England, born around 1550. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Bazemore, who was born in Virginia in 1735.
During the American Revolutionary War, Jeremiah Bazemore, born in 1758 in North Carolina, served in the North Carolina militia and fought in several battles. Another notable figure was Thomas Bazemore, born in 1795 in South Carolina, who was a farmer and landowner.
In the 19th century, James Bazemore, born in 1820 in Georgia, was a prominent cotton farmer and slaveholder. Later, in the 20th century, Clarence Bazemore, born in 1905 in North Carolina, was a professional baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Bazemore who have left their mark on history, with roots that can be traced back to the ancient origins of the name in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bazemore
Among Census respondents with the surname Bazemore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (45.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bazemore 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 Bazemore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.2% · 1,659
- White45.3% · 1,559
- Two or more races4.0% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bazemore
Bazemore 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
#9,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,604
+135 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#9,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,440
-164 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,720 | 3,469 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,068 | 3,604 | 1.22 | +135 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #9,124 | 3,440 | 1.15 | -164 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 56 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 Bazemore 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 | #9,068 | #9,124 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,604 | 3,440 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.15 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bazemore bearers went from 3,604 to 3,440 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,068 to #9,124.
FAQ
Bazemore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bazemore?
Name Census estimates that about 3,945 living Americans carry the surname Bazemore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,883 residents.
How common is Bazemore?
Bazemore ranks #9,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,440 people with the surname Bazemore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,945), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Bazemore.
Has Bazemore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bazemore went from 3,604 recorded bearers to 3,440. That is a decrease of 164 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,068 to #9,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Bazemore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bazemore, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (45.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bazemore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.2% (1,659 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bazemore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.2%), White (45.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bazemore (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 Bazemore mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old French word "beseur," meaning "woodcutter" or "wood carver." 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 Bazemore (1.15 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 Bazemore?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Bazemore, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.