2000
#4,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.53
Rare Last name
Backus
An English occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who bakes bread and other goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,628 Americans carry the last name Backus. That puts it at #5,104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Backus 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
7.6K
1 in 44,934
Census rank
#5,104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,652 bearers of the surname Backus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Backus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Backus
The surname Backus has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "baec," meaning "back" or "ridge," and may have been used to refer to someone who lived near a ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Backus can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Bacchus," which was likely a variation in spelling due to the lack of standardization at the time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Backus was concentrated primarily in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk in eastern England. This region was known for its rolling hills and ridges, which may have contributed to the name's origins.
In the 13th century, records show a William Backus who was a landowner in the village of Bacton, Norfolk. This place name is likely derived from the same root as the surname, further suggesting its connection to geographical features.
One notable individual with the surname Backus was Sir Adlard Backus (c. 1550-1624), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I and James I. He served in the English army and was knighted for his service in the Netherlands.
Another significant figure was Isaac Backus (1724-1806), an American Baptist minister and a prominent advocate for religious freedom in colonial America. He was a leading figure in the struggle for the separation of church and state and played a crucial role in the drafting of the First Amendment.
In the 18th century, the Backus family had a strong presence in Connecticut, with notable members including Simon Backus (1700-1768), a farmer and landowner, and his son Eliphalet Backus (1744-1832), a soldier in the American Revolutionary War.
The name Backus also appears in literary works, such as the novel "The Backwoodsmen" by Charles G.D. Roberts (1860-1943), a Canadian writer and poet. The novel features a character named Backus, likely inspired by the surname's association with rural and natural settings.
Throughout history, variations in spelling have included Bacchus, Backhouse, and Baccus, among others. However, the modern spelling of Backus has become predominant in recent centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Backus
Among Census respondents with the surname Backus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Backus 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 Backus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 5,560
- Black or African American8.2% · 543
- Two or more races3.8% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 225
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Backus
Backus 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
#4,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,064
+242 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 225 places
2020
#5,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,652
-412 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,749 | 6,822 | 2.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,974 | 7,064 | 2.39 | +242 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 225 places |
| 2020 | #5,104 | 6,652 | 2.23 | -412 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 130 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 Backus 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 | #4,974 | #5,104 | -2.6% |
| Count | 7,064 | 6,652 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.39 | 2.23 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Backus bearers went from 7,064 to 6,652 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,974 to #5,104.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Backus
FAQ
Backus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Backus?
Name Census estimates that about 7,628 living Americans carry the surname Backus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,934 residents.
How common is Backus?
Backus ranks #5,104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,652 people with the surname Backus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Backus.
Has Backus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Backus went from 7,064 recorded bearers to 6,652. That is a decrease of 412 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,974 to #5,104.
What does the Census say about the background of Backus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Backus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) 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 Backus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (5,560 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Backus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Black (8.2%), 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 Backus (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 Backus mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who bakes bread and other goods. 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 Backus (2.23 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 Backus?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Backus at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.