2000
#31,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 695
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Baye
A French surname likely derived from the Old French word "baie" meaning "bay" or "berry."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 847 Americans carry the last name Baye. That puts it at #33,232 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 404,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baye 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
847
1 in 404,669
Census rank
#33,232
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
739
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 739 bearers of the surname Baye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33232nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baye, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baye
The surname BAYE is of French origin and is believed to have originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Normandy and Brittany. The name is derived from the Old French word "baie," which means "bay" or "inlet of the sea." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a bay or coastal inlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BAYE can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "de la Baye," indicating that it was likely held by a Norman family residing near a bay or coastal area.
In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Guillaume de Baye is mentioned in the chronicles of the Abbey of Saint-Denis in Paris. He was a knight and landowner who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under the command of King Richard I of England.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jean de Baye, a French poet and author who lived in the 15th century. He is best known for his work "Le Roman de la Rose," a famous medieval allegorical poem.
During the 16th century, the BAYE surname appeared in records from the Duchy of Normandy, where it was sometimes spelled as "Bayeux" or "Bayé." This variation in spelling likely reflects the regional dialects and local pronunciations of the name.
In the 17th century, a French explorer and navigator named Pierre LeBaye (1620-1686) gained recognition for his voyages to North America and the Caribbean. He was one of the first Europeans to map and chart the coastlines of parts of present-day Canada and the United States.
Another notable figure was François-Joseph Baye (1743-1820), a French architect and urban planner who designed many notable buildings and public spaces in Paris, including the Palais de la Bourse (Stock Exchange) and the Fontaine des Innocents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baye
Among Census respondents with the surname Baye, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Baye 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 Baye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 542
- Black or African American20.4% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 23
- Two or more races2.3% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baye
Baye 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
#33,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 677
-18 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 2,153 places
2020
#33,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 739
+62 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Up 413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,492 | 695 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,645 | 677 | 0.23 | -18 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 2,153 places |
| 2020 | #33,232 | 739 | 0.25 | +62 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 413 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 Baye 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 | #33,645 | #33,232 | 1.2% |
| Count | 677 | 739 | 9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.25 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baye bearers went from 677 to 739 (+9.2% change). The surname moved up 413 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,645 to #33,232.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Baye
FAQ
Baye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baye?
Name Census estimates that about 847 living Americans carry the surname Baye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 404,669 residents.
How common is Baye?
Baye ranks #33,232 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 739 people with the surname Baye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (847), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Baye.
Has Baye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baye went from 677 recorded bearers to 739. That is an increase of 62 (+9.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #33,645 to #33,232.
What does the Census say about the background of Baye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baye, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Baye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (20.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Baye (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 Baye mean?
A French surname likely derived from the Old French word "baie" meaning "bay" or "berry." 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 Baye (0.25 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 last name Baye?
See how many Americans have the surname Baye on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.