2000
#53,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 359
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Bacharach
A surname of German/Yiddish origin meaning "brook" or "stream".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 422 Americans carry the last name Bacharach. That puts it at #59,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 812,214 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bacharach 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
422
1 in 812,214
Census rank
#59,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
368
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 368 bearers of the surname Bacharach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacharach, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bacharach
The surname Bacharach originates from Germany, and it is believed to have derived its name from the town of Bacharach, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region. The town's name is thought to come from the old German words "bach" meaning stream and "arach" meaning dweller, thus referring to someone who lived near a stream.
The earliest known record of the surname Bacharach dates back to the 13th century, when it was mentioned in a document from the town itself. During this time, it was not uncommon for people to adopt surnames based on the place they lived or were born.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Bacharach was Johann Bacharach, a merchant who lived in the town of Bacharach in the late 14th century. Records show that he traded in wine and other goods along the Rhine River.
In the 16th century, the surname Bacharach appeared in various records across Germany, with some variations in spelling, such as Bacherach and Bachrauch. This was likely due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
A notable figure with the surname Bacharach was Isaac Bacharach, a renowned Hebrew scholar and rabbi who lived in the 17th century (1604-1685). He was born in Poznań, Poland, but spent much of his life in Germany, where he served as the Chief Rabbi of several communities, including Frankfurt and Worms.
Another prominent individual was Hartwig Bacharach, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived in the 18th century (1717-1787). He was a professor of law at the University of Göttingen and published several works on legal theory and jurisprudence.
In the 19th century, a notable figure was Isidor Bacharach, a German-born painter and illustrator (1835-1918). He is known for his landscape paintings and illustrations, many of which depicted scenes from the Rhineland region.
The surname Bacharach can also be found in historical records from other countries, such as the Netherlands and the United States, where it was likely carried by immigrants from Germany. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the town of Bacharach in Germany, where it has its roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bacharach
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacharach, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bacharach 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 Bacharach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 338
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 19
- Two or more races1.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bacharach
Bacharach 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
#58,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 347
-12 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 4,577 places
2020
#59,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 368
+21 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 893 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,904 | 359 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,481 | 347 | 0.12 | -12 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 4,577 places |
| 2020 | #59,374 | 368 | 0.12 | +21 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 893 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 Bacharach 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 | #58,481 | #59,374 | -1.5% |
| Count | 347 | 368 | 6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | 2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bacharach bearers went from 347 to 368 (+6.1% change). The surname moved down 893 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,481 to #59,374.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bacharach
FAQ
Bacharach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bacharach?
Name Census estimates that about 422 living Americans carry the surname Bacharach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 812,214 residents.
How common is Bacharach?
Bacharach ranks #59,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 368 people with the surname Bacharach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bacharach.
Has Bacharach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bacharach went from 347 recorded bearers to 368. That is an increase of 21 (+6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,481 to #59,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Bacharach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacharach, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Bacharach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bacharach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Bacharach (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 Bacharach mean?
A surname of German/Yiddish origin meaning "brook" or "stream". 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 Bacharach (0.12 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 are called Bacharach?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bacharach is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.