2000
#4,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.73
Uncommon Last name
Baptiste
A French occupational surname referring to a baptist or one who baptizes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,751 Americans carry the last name Baptiste. That puts it at #3,687 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baptiste 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 Baptiste with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,881
Census rank
#3,687
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,375 bearers of the surname Baptiste in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3687th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptiste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.6%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baptiste
The surname Baptiste originated in France and Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the given name Baptiste, a French version of the Latin name Baptista, meaning "Baptist" or "one who baptizes." The name is associated with John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ in the Christian tradition.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Baptiste can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries in various regions of France and Italy. In France, it was particularly prevalent in the southern regions, such as Provence and Languedoc, where the name appears in historical records and documents from that period.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Baptiste is found in the Cartulaire de l'Église de Marseille, a cartulary (a medieval manuscript containing transcripts of charters and other legal documents) from the 12th century, which mentions a certain Guillaume Baptiste as a witness to a land transaction.
In Italy, the surname Baptiste was initially more common in the northern regions, such as Piedmont and Lombardy. One notable early bearer of the name was Battista Sforza, an Italian noblewoman who lived from 1446 to 1472 and was the daughter of Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan.
During the Renaissance period, the surname Baptiste became associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. One such individual was Jean Baptiste du Hamel (1624-1706), a French philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the study of physics and natural philosophy.
Another prominent figure with the surname Baptiste was Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687), an Italian-born French composer and violinist who served as the court composer for Louis XIV and is considered one of the founders of French opera.
In the 18th century, the name Baptiste was borne by Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783), a French mathematician, philosopher, and encyclopedist who co-edited the influential Encyclopédie alongside Denis Diderot.
During the 19th century, one notable bearer of the surname was Jules Baptiste Trayer (1824-1892), a French painter and illustrator known for his depictions of historical and military scenes.
Throughout its history, the surname Baptiste has also been associated with various place names and localities, such as Baptiste Creek in Texas, USA, and Île Baptiste, an island in the Canadian province of Quebec.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baptiste
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptiste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.6%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Baptiste 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 Baptiste surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.6% · 6,903
- White13.1% · 1,225
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 571
- Two or more races4.9% · 461
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 87
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baptiste
Baptiste 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
#3,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,915
+1,562 bearers (+21.2%)
Per 100,000 3.02
Rank movement Up 465 places
2020
#3,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,375
+460 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.14
Rank movement Up 296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,448 | 7,353 | 2.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,983 | 8,915 | 3.02 | +1,562 bearers (+21.2%) | Up 465 places |
| 2020 | #3,687 | 9,375 | 3.14 | +460 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 296 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 Baptiste 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 | #3,983 | #3,687 | 7.4% |
| Count | 8,915 | 9,375 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.02 | 3.14 | 3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baptiste bearers went from 8,915 to 9,375 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 296 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,983 to #3,687.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Baptiste
FAQ
Baptiste surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baptiste?
Name Census estimates that about 10,751 living Americans carry the surname Baptiste. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,881 residents.
How common is Baptiste?
Baptiste ranks #3,687 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,375 people with the surname Baptiste. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Baptiste.
Has Baptiste become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baptiste went from 8,915 recorded bearers to 9,375. That is an increase of 460 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,983 to #3,687.
What does the Census say about the background of Baptiste?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baptiste, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.6%. The next largest groups are White (13.1%) and Hispanic (6.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Baptiste in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.6% (6,903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baptiste appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (73.6%), White (13.1%), Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Baptiste (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 Baptiste mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a baptist or one who baptizes. 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 Baptiste (3.14 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 have the surname Baptiste?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.