Explore the Family Name Banister

The meaning of Banister

English (of Norman origin): variant of Bannister. History: The naturalist John Banister (1650–92) was born in Gloucestershire, England, and came to VA in 1678.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Banister in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Banister fluctuated in the early 2000s. In 2000, it was ranked 9,712 out of all surnames but slipped to 10,260 by 2010, a decrease of 5.64%. However, the actual count of people with this surname increased from 3,069 to 3,141, a modest growth of 2.35%. The proportion per 100,000 people dropped by 7.02%, from 1.14 to 1.06.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#9,712	#10,260	-5.64%
Count	3,069	3,141	2.35%
Proportion per 100k	1.14	1.06	-7.02%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Banister

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010 for those with the Banister surname. While white individuals made up the majority of Bannisters at 85.76% in 2000 and 84.34% in 2010, there was a slight decline of 1.66%. Black Bannisters saw an increase from 9.84% to 10.28%. Those identifying as Hispanic or of two or more races also increased their representation, with Hispanics making up 2.29% of Bannisters (up from 1.82%) and those of mixed race rising dramatically from 1.30% to 2.04%. There was a small increase in American Indian and Alaskan Native Bannisters from 0.42% to 0.45%. However, Asian/Pacific Islander representation within the Bannisters declined substantially from 0.85% to 0.60%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	85.76%	84.34%	-1.66%
Black	9.84%	10.28%	4.47%
Hispanic	1.82%	2.29%	25.82%
Two or More Races	1.3%	2.04%	56.92%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.85%	0.6%	-29.41%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.42%	0.45%	7.14%