Explore the Family Name Bas

The meaning of Bas

1. Catalan: habitational name from a place so named in the district of La Garrotxa, Catalonia. 2. Basque: topographic name for someone who lived by a wood, from baso ‘wood, forest’. 3. Polish, Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic), and Ukrainian: metonymic occupational name for a musician, from Polish, Yiddish, and Ukrainian (respectively) bas ‘bass viol, violoncello’. For Jews, the surname can come from any of the three languages in question, as well as from German Baß. 4. French: from Old French bas(se) ‘short, of low stature’ (from Latin bassus ‘thickset’, i.e. wide as opposed to tall), a descriptive nickname for a short person. Compare Lebas. 5. Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Sebastiaan (see Sebastian). 6. Slovenian (Baš): from an old short form of the personal name Sebastjan (see Sebastian). Compare Bash. 7. Turkish (Baş): ornamental name, nickname or status name from baş ‘head’, also ‘chief’. 8. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) and Ukrainian: nickname for someone with a deep voice, from Ukrainian bas ‘deep voice’. For Jews, the surname can also come from the Yiddish word with the identical meaning. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Mauricio, Abelardo, Florencio, Francisco, Jorge, Luis, Manuel, Pedro, Soledad, Vicente. Eastern Slavic Dmytro, Liya, Pyotr, Sergey.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Bas has seen a considerable rise between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked at 42,912 in terms of popularity, which climbed considerably to 36,970 by 2010, seeing an increase of around 13.85%. Similarly, the count of people with the surname Bas also rose from 475 in 2000 to 604 in 2010, marking a significant growth of 27.16%. The proportion of this surname per 100,000 people saw an encouraging increase of 11.11%, moving from 0.18 in 2000 to 0.2 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#42,912#36,97013.85%
Count47560427.16%
Proportion per 100k0.180.211.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bas

When it comes to ethnic identity associated with the surname Bas, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some interesting changes. There has been a noticeable increase of 23.46% in the Asian/Pacific Islander category, moving from 13.68% in 2000 to 16.89% in 2010. Conversely, the White category saw a decline of 8.35%, dropping from 54.74% in 2000 to 50.17% in 2010. The Hispanic category witnessed a modest rise of 7.01%, climbing from 25.68% to 27.48%. Those identifying with two or more races fell slightly by 16.76%, from 3.58% to 2.98%. The Black category, which had no representation in 2000, saw a small presence of 2.48% in 2010. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained stagnant with no changes reported.

20002010Change
White54.74%50.17%-8.35%
Hispanic25.68%27.48%7.01%
Asian/Pacific Islander13.68%16.89%23.46%
Two or More Races3.58%2.98%-16.76%
Black0%2.48%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%