2000
#45,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 440
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Bathgate
A place name referring to a town located in West Lothian, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 537 Americans carry the last name Bathgate. That puts it at #48,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 638,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bathgate 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 Bathgate with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
537
1 in 638,276
Census rank
#48,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
468
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 468 bearers of the surname Bathgate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bathgate, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bathgate
The surname Bathgate originated in Scotland during the 12th century. It is derived from the town of Bathgate, located in West Lothian, near Edinburgh. The name is believed to come from the Old English words "baþ" meaning bath or stream, and "geat" meaning road or path, suggesting the name referred to the road leading to the stream or river in the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bathgate can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appeared as "de Bathgate," indicating someone from the town of Bathgate.
In the 14th century, a John de Bathgate was mentioned in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, which recorded legal documents and charters related to land ownership and other official matters.
During the 16th century, the name was documented in various records, including the Scottish Parish Registers, which recorded births, marriages, and deaths. One notable bearer of the name during this time was Robert Bathgate, born in 1562, who was a prominent merchant in Edinburgh.
In the 17th century, Andrew Bathgate (1620-1693) was a Scottish minister and poet, known for his religious writings and poems. He served as the minister of the parish of Cupar in Fife.
In the 18th century, James Bathgate (1740-1819) was a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Tron Kirk and the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.
Another notable bearer of the name was Andrew Bathgate (1801-1878), a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1845 to 1849, representing the state of New York.
In the 19th century, Sir Walter Bathgate (1835-1912) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to education and healthcare in his hometown of Bathgate.
Throughout history, the Bathgate surname has been associated with various locations, including the town of Bathgate itself, as well as other places in Scotland and beyond, where individuals with this name have resided and made their mark.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bathgate
Among Census respondents with the surname Bathgate, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bathgate 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 Bathgate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 441
- Two or more races3.8% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bathgate
Bathgate 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
#45,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
+28 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 82 places
2020
#48,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 3,059 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,735 | 440 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,653 | 468 | 0.16 | +28 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 82 places |
| 2020 | #48,712 | 468 | 0.16 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,059 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 Bathgate 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 | #45,653 | #48,712 | -6.7% |
| Count | 468 | 468 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.16 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bathgate bearers went from 468 to 468 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,059 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,653 to #48,712.
FAQ
Bathgate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bathgate?
Name Census estimates that about 537 living Americans carry the surname Bathgate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 638,276 residents.
How common is Bathgate?
Bathgate ranks #48,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 468 people with the surname Bathgate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (537), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Bathgate.
Has Bathgate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bathgate went from 468 recorded bearers to 468. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,653 to #48,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Bathgate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bathgate, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Bathgate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bathgate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Bathgate (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 Bathgate mean?
A place name referring to a town located in West Lothian, Scotland. 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 Bathgate (0.16 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 Bathgate?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.