2000
#37,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Baio
An Italian surname derived from the word "baio" meaning chestnut brown in color.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 803 Americans carry the last name Baio. That puts it at #34,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 426,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baio 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
803
1 in 426,842
Census rank
#34,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
700
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 700 bearers of the surname Baio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baio, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baio
The surname Baio originates from Italy, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "badius," which means "brown" or "chestnut-colored." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with brown hair or complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the Baio surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. In some historical documents, the name appears with variations such as Baio, Bayo, and Bayus.
One of the earliest notable individuals with this surname was Giovanni Baio, a 16th-century theologian and professor at the University of Louvain in the Netherlands. He was born in 1513 in La Motte, a small village in the Piedmont region of Italy, and died in 1589.
Another prominent figure was Andrea Baio, an Italian painter and architect from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in Milan around 1570 and is known for his contributions to the architectural design of several churches and palaces in the Milanese region.
In the 18th century, Francesco Baio, an Italian composer and violinist, gained recognition for his works, particularly his violin concerti. He was born in Turin in 1738 and died in 1813.
During the 19th century, Carlo Baio, an Italian lawyer and politician, played a significant role in the unification of Italy. He was born in Genoa in 1824 and served as a member of the Italian Parliament from 1861 until his death in 1885.
Lastly, Gian Carlo Baio, an Italian architect and urban planner, made notable contributions to the development of modern urban planning in the 20th century. He was born in Turin in 1917 and was responsible for the design and implementation of several urban renewal projects across Italy.
While the Baio surname is primarily associated with Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world, likely due to Italian immigration. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Italian culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baio
Among Census respondents with the surname Baio, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Baio 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 Baio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 610
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 38
- Two or more races4.6% · 32
- Black or African American1.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baio
Baio 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
#33,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 690
+124 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 3,930 places
2020
#34,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 700
+10 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 1,617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,094 | 566 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,164 | 690 | 0.23 | +124 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 3,930 places |
| 2020 | #34,781 | 700 | 0.23 | +10 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 1,617 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 Baio 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 | #33,164 | #34,781 | -4.9% |
| Count | 690 | 700 | 1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.23 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baio bearers went from 690 to 700 (+1.4% change). The surname moved down 1,617 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,164 to #34,781.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Baio
FAQ
Baio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baio?
Name Census estimates that about 803 living Americans carry the surname Baio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 426,842 residents.
How common is Baio?
Baio ranks #34,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 700 people with the surname Baio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (803), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Baio.
Has Baio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baio went from 690 recorded bearers to 700. That is an increase of 10 (+1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,164 to #34,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Baio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baio, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Baio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (610 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Baio (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 Baio mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "baio" meaning chestnut brown in color. 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 Baio (0.23 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 many people are called Baio?
See how many people have the surname Baio on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.