2000
#2,897
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,375
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.22
Uncommon Last name
Bach
An occupational surname referring to someone living near or working at a stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,555 Americans carry the last name Bach. That puts it at #2,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bach 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 Bach with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,286
Census rank
#2,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,821 bearers of the surname Bach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bach, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bach
The surname "BACH" is of Germanic origin, derived from the Middle High German word "bach," meaning "stream" or "brook." It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
The earliest recorded use of the surname "BACH" dates back to the 13th century in various regions of modern-day Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. It was often spelled in various ways, such as "Bache," "Bäche," or "Bech," reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations.
One of the earliest known references to the name "BACH" can be found in a document from the city of Arnstadt, Thuringia, dated 1289, where a person named "Heinricus Bache" is mentioned.
The name "BACH" gained prominence in the 16th and 17th centuries, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), the renowned German composer and musician, is perhaps the most famous bearer of this name. His works, including the Brandenburg Concertos, the Well-Tempered Clavier, and the Mass in B Minor, have had a profound influence on Western classical music.
Another prominent figure with the surname "BACH" was Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), the second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was a highly influential composer and musician in his own right, known for his contributions to the development of the Classical style.
In the 18th century, Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782), the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, gained recognition as a composer and music teacher. He spent much of his career in England, where he became known as the "English Bach."
The name "BACH" also has connections to several place names in Germany. For example, the town of Bachfeld in Bavaria is derived from the word "bach," meaning "stream." Similarly, the town of Bachrain in Baden-Württemberg is thought to have originated from the same root word.
Other notable individuals with the surname "BACH" include Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703), a cousin of Johann Sebastian Bach and a respected composer and organist in his own right, and Johannes Bach (c. 1604-1673), the grandfather of Johann Sebastian Bach and a renowned musician and composer in the Baroque era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bach
Among Census respondents with the surname Bach, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bach 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 Bach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 9,484
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.8% · 1,518
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 407
- Two or more races2.7% · 315
- Black or African American0.5% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bach
Bach 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
#2,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,999
+624 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 4.07
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#2,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,821
-178 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,897 | 11,375 | 4.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,986 | 11,999 | 4.07 | +624 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #2,976 | 11,821 | 3.95 | -178 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 10 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 Bach 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 | #2,986 | #2,976 | 0.3% |
| Count | 11,999 | 11,821 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.07 | 3.95 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bach bearers went from 11,999 to 11,821 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,986 to #2,976.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bach
FAQ
Bach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bach?
Name Census estimates that about 13,555 living Americans carry the surname Bach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,286 residents.
How common is Bach?
Bach ranks #2,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,821 people with the surname Bach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,555), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Bach.
Has Bach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bach went from 11,999 recorded bearers to 11,821. That is a decrease of 178 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,986 to #2,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Bach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bach, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Bach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (9,484 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Bach (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 Bach mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone living near or working at a stream or brook. 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 Bach (3.95 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 Americans have the surname Bach?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.