2000
#5,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,853
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Baldridge
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "bold ridge," referring to a courageous person living near a ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,450 Americans carry the last name Baldridge. That puts it at #5,910 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,140 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baldridge 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
6.5K
1 in 53,140
Census rank
#5,910
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,625 bearers of the surname Baldridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5910th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baldridge
The surname Baldridge is of English origin, emerging in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words 'bald' meaning bold or daring, and 'ridge' referring to a ridge or hill, likely denoting someone who lived near a prominent ridge or hill. The name was initially spelled as 'Balderigge' or 'Baldrigge' in early records.
One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, which mentions a Robert de Balderigge. The Baldridge family is also recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1327, indicating their presence in that county during the 14th century.
The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Baldridge name. However, it does mention several place names containing the word 'ridge', such as Ridgemere in Bedfordshire and Ridgewell in Essex, which may have been associated with early bearers of the name.
Notable individuals with the surname Baldridge include Sir John Baldridge (1545-1612), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Arundel during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was William Baldridge (1776-1848), an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio in the early 19th century.
In the literary world, Edward Baldridge (1760-1832) was an English writer and poet, known for his works such as "The Poetical Wanderer" and "The Bard's Miscellany." The name also has Scottish connections, with Alexander Baldridge (1821-1891), a Scottish-born businessman who co-founded the Baldridge Bakery in Philadelphia, which became a successful enterprise in the late 19th century.
Henry Baldridge (1856-1932) was an American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Church of the Ascension and the Bowery Savings Bank building. His architectural contributions left a lasting impact on the city's skyline.
While the Baldridge surname originated in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other English-speaking countries due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baldridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Baldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Baldridge 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 Baldridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 4,689
- Two or more races6.6% · 371
- Black or African American4.4% · 250
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 169
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baldridge
Baldridge 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
#5,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,996
+143 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 312 places
2020
#5,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,625
-371 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,466 | 5,853 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,778 | 5,996 | 2.03 | +143 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 312 places |
| 2020 | #5,910 | 5,625 | 1.88 | -371 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 132 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 Baldridge 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 | #5,778 | #5,910 | -2.3% |
| Count | 5,996 | 5,625 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.88 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baldridge bearers went from 5,996 to 5,625 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,778 to #5,910.
FAQ
Baldridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baldridge?
Name Census estimates that about 6,450 living Americans carry the surname Baldridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,140 residents.
How common is Baldridge?
Baldridge ranks #5,910 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 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 5,625 people with the surname Baldridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,450), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 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 Baldridge.
Has Baldridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baldridge went from 5,996 recorded bearers to 5,625. That is a decrease of 371 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,778 to #5,910.
What does the Census say about the background of Baldridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (4.4%). 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 Baldridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (4,689 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baldridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Two or More Races (6.6%), Black (4.4%). 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 Baldridge (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 Baldridge mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "bold ridge," referring to a courageous person living near a ridge. 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 Baldridge (1.88 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 share the surname Baldridge?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.