Explore the Family Name Baptiste
The meaning of Baptiste
French and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the personal name Baptiste, derived from Latin Baptista ‘baptist’, the distinguishing epithet of Saint John the Baptist, who baptized people, including Jesus Christ, in the river Jordan (Mark 1:9). The Latin name is from Greek baptistēs, literally ‘one who washes’ (from baptisma ‘the act of washing’). For Christians, baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin prior to admission to the Church. This surname is also found in England, mainly as a surname of Huguenot origin. Compare Baptist, Batiste, and Battiste, and also Portuguese and Spanish Baptista and Batista, Italian Battista. Some characteristic forenames: French/Haitian Andre, Pierre, Yves, Germaine, Jacques, Jean Claude, Ricot, Agathe, Anite, Antoine, Cecile, Charlemagne.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Baptiste in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Baptiste saw an increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 4448th in popularity, and by 2010, it had climbed to 3983rd, marking a 10.45% rise. The count of people with this surname also grew from 7353 in 2000 to 8915 in 2010, reflecting a 21.24% increase. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Baptiste per 100,000 people rose by 10.62%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,448 | #3,983 | 10.45% |
| Count | 7,353 | 8,915 | 21.24% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.73 | 3.02 | 10.62% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Baptiste
The Decennial U.S. Census data on ethnic identity reveals that the majority of individuals with the surname Baptiste identify as Black, with numbers increasing from 69.32% in 2000 to 74.30% in 2010. There was significant growth in those identifying as Hispanic, up by 49.86%. However, the number of people identifying as White and Asian/Pacific Islander fell by 9.50% and 11.86% respectively. Similarly, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by 17.78%, and considerable decline was seen in those identifying with two or more races, down by 56.94%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 69.32% | 74.3% | 7.18% |
| White | 16.1% | 14.57% | -9.5% |
| Hispanic | 3.55% | 5.32% | 49.86% |
| Two or More Races | 8.5% | 3.66% | -56.94% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.35% | 1.11% | -17.78% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.18% | 1.04% | -11.86% |
Baptiste ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Baptiste is British & Irish, which comprises 19.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Nigerian (18.4%) and Spanish & Portuguese (14.2%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, French & German, Angolan & Congolese, Italian, and Eastern European.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 19.5% |
| Nigerian | 18.4% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 14.2% |
| Other | 47.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Baptiste
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Baptiste have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 35.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 34.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 34.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 34.10% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 33.30% |
What Baptiste haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Baptiste is R-P312, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P312 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-M170 and E-L514, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Banner, Heintz, Francois, Max, Mateo, Edmunds, Denis, Behr, Reinert, Hine.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Baptiste surname are: H1, H, L2a1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to speakers of the Bantu language family
About 5,000 years ago, many people in sub-Saharan Africa still relied on hunting, gathering, and foraging as their main means of collecting food. But that was soon going to change. People in West-Central Africa began experimenting with agriculture, cultivating the yams, legumes, peppers, and gourds that would became staples of sub-Saharan African diet. These people spoke languages belonging to the Bantu language family, and about 4,000 years ago they began to move.First, they headed east across the central rainforest. Eventually, the descendants of these migrants arrived at the farthest reaches of southern Africa. Later, other Bantu speakers who had remained in West Africa also began to travel down the western coast. As they traveled over a period of centuries, they both displaced and absorbed many other hunter-gatherer groups that were already living throughout Africa.Their agricultural and technological knowledge also diffused to other local groups. They often intermarried, sometimes adopting local cultural practices of those people they encountered. The languages that they brought with them from their ancestral homeland spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and today the majority of sub-Saharan African languages are Bantu.
What do people with the surname Baptiste have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Baptiste" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Baptiste" Surname 28.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Baptiste" Surname 17.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Baptiste" Surname 17.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Baptiste?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Baptiste are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition