Explore the Family Name Bald
The meaning of Bald
1. German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Baldo, or a short form of various compound names such as Baldwin, formed with the first element bald ‘bold, strong’. 2. Scottish and English: from the Norman personal name Bald(e), Baud(e), occasionally Bold, a short form of the common ancient Germanic personal names Baldwin or Baldric, or possibly a survival of Old English Beald (compare Balding); the relevant element in each of these is b(e)ald ‘brave’. As a hereditary surname it seems to have died out in England but survives in Scotland. 3. English and Scottish: nickname for a bald man, from Middle English ballede ‘ball-shaped’ (perhaps ‘corpulent’), from bal(le) ‘ball’ (Old English ball or Old Norse bǫllr). Some characteristic forenames: German Hans, Inge, Karl-Heinz, Konrad, Kurt, Otto.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bald in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Bald" has seen a slight decline from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, "Bald" was ranked 26,446th in popularity among surnames in the United States, but by 2010 it had dropped to 29,261st, marking a decrease of 10.64%. The count of people bearing this surname also decreased from 868 in 2000 to 809 in 2010, representing a drop of 6.8%. The proportion of individuals with the surname "Bald" per 100,000 people saw a decrease of 15.62% over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #26,446 | #29,261 | -10.64% |
| Count | 868 | 809 | -6.8% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.32 | 0.27 | -15.62% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bald
The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Bald" also showed some shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. Individuals identifying as White made up the majority of those with this surname, though their proportion slightly decreased from 89.52% in 2000 to 87.14% in 2010. While the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Black increased over this period, the number of people identifying as having two or more races or as American Indian and Alaskan Native remained suppressed for privacy. The most significant increase was seen in the Hispanic group, which saw a 63.78% rise.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.52% | 87.14% | -2.66% |
| Black | 5.88% | 6.43% | 9.35% |
| Hispanic | 1.96% | 3.21% | 63.78% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.38% | 1.85% | 34.06% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |