2000
#5,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,198
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.30
Rare Last name
Baran
A Polish or Jewish surname derived from the word "baran," meaning "ram" or "battering ram."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,740 Americans carry the last name Baran. That puts it at #5,690 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,854 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baran 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 Baran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 50,854
Census rank
#5,690
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,878 bearers of the surname Baran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5690th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baran, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baran
The surname Baran originated in Poland and has its roots in the Slavic languages. It is derived from the word "baran," which means "ram" or "male sheep." The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, and was likely initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who worked with sheep or had a physical resemblance to a ram.
In its early history, the name Baran was commonly found in regions of Poland, such as Lesser Poland, Silesia, and the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It also spread to neighboring countries like Belarus, Ukraine, and Lithuania, where it took on slightly different spellings like Baran or Baranas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Baran can be found in the Liber Beneficiorum, a 14th-century manuscript compiled by Jan Długosz, a Polish priest and historian. This document was a comprehensive record of church properties and their beneficiaries, including individuals with the surname Baran.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Baran. One example is Wincenty Baran (1889-1946), a Polish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of Public Security in the Polish government-in-exile during World War II. Another prominent figure is Stanisław Baran (1940-2014), a Polish writer and journalist known for his works on history and politics.
In the realm of sports, Władysław Baran (1910-1981) was a Polish footballer who played as a midfielder for several clubs, including Cracovia and Wisła Kraków, and represented the Polish national team in the 1930s. Mieczysław Baran (1901-1993) was a Polish athlete who competed in the long jump and triple jump events at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Moving to the arts, Stanisław Baran (1933-2014) was a Polish sculptor and academic, best known for his monumental public sculptures and works in bronze and stone. His sculptures can be found in various cities throughout Poland and other countries.
While the surname Baran has its roots in Poland and the Slavic languages, it has also been adopted by individuals of other nationalities and ethnicities over time, further contributing to its diverse history and global presence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baran
Among Census respondents with the surname Baran, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Baran 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 Baran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 5,338
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 242
- Two or more races2.6% · 155
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 99
- Black or African American0.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baran
Baran 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
#5,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,640
+442 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#5,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,878
-762 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,181 | 6,198 | 2.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,253 | 6,640 | 2.25 | +442 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #5,690 | 5,878 | 1.97 | -762 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 437 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 Baran 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 | #5,253 | #5,690 | -8.3% |
| Count | 6,640 | 5,878 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.25 | 1.97 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baran bearers went from 6,640 to 5,878 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 437 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,253 to #5,690.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Baran
FAQ
Baran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baran?
Name Census estimates that about 6,740 living Americans carry the surname Baran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,854 residents.
How common is Baran?
Baran ranks #5,690 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 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 5,878 people with the surname Baran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,740), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 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 Baran.
Has Baran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baran went from 6,640 recorded bearers to 5,878. That is a decrease of 762 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,253 to #5,690.
What does the Census say about the background of Baran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baran, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Baran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (5,338 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Baran (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 Baran mean?
A Polish or Jewish surname derived from the word "baran," meaning "ram" or "battering ram." 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 Baran (1.97 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 Baran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.