Explore the Family Name Balaban
The meaning of Balaban
1. Turkish, Greek, Serbian, and Croatian: nickname for a big, clumsy man, from Turkish balaban ‘tame bear’, figuratively ‘big, clumsy man’, which is also a loanword in Serbian and Croatian. In North America, this surname may also be a shortened form of some other surnames derived from this word, such as Greek Balabanis. 2. Turkish, Romanian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): nickname or Turkish ornamental and Jewish artificial name from Turkish balaban ‘sparrowhawk’ (also a loanword in Ukrainian, etc.), as a nickname perhaps applied to someone thought to resemble a sparrowhawk in some way. It may also be a metonymic occupational name for a falconer. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Emanuel, Yakov, Zev, Chaja, Chaya, Moisey.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Balaban in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Balaban saw an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, it was ranked 21,880 in popularity and had a count of 1,107 people with this name. By 2010, the rank improved to 21,260 with an increased count of 1,233, marking a change of 11.38 percent. The proportion of individuals with the Balaban surname per 100k also experienced a growth of 2.44 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,880 | #21,260 | 2.83% |
| Count | 1,107 | 1,233 | 11.38% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.41 | 0.42 | 2.44% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Balaban
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Balaban, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that most bearers identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, with a slight increase of 0.02 percent over the decade. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic also rose significantly by 53.99 percent during the same period. Meanwhile, the number of people of Asian/Pacific Islander background dropped by 47.22 percent, while those identifying with two or more races decreased by 27.37 percent. The percentages for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained constant at 0 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.03% | 95.05% | 0.02% |
| Hispanic | 1.63% | 2.51% | 53.99% |
| Two or More Races | 1.9% | 1.38% | -27.37% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.08% | 0.57% | -47.22% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |