Explore the Family Name Baum

The meaning of Baum

1. German: topographic name for someone who lived by a tree that was particularly noticeable in some way, from Middle High German, Old High German boum ‘tree’, or else a nickname for a particularly tall person. 2. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Baum ‘tree’, or a short form of any of the many artificial surnames containing this word as the final element, for example Feigenbaum ‘fig tree’ (see Feige) and Mandelbaum ‘almond tree’ (see Mandel). 3. English (Leicestershire): variant of Balme, a habitational name from Balne in Yorkshire, so named with Middle English balne ‘bath, bathing place’ (from Latin balneum ‘bathing place’). There is no early evidence suggesting possible derivation from Middle English balme, baume ‘balm, balsam’, though this word has probably influenced the name.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Baum has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the past decade. In 2000, it held the rank of 2060 with a total count of 16,109 individuals carrying the surname. By 2010, the surname had slipped to the rank of 2230, despite an increase of its count by 1.4% to 16,334. This implies that while the number of people named Baum increased, it did not keep pace with the growth of other surnames. The proportion of people named Baum per 100,000 also decreased by 7.2%.

20002010Change
Rank#2,060#2,230-8.25%
Count16,10916,3341.4%
Proportion per 100k5.975.54-7.2%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Baum

The ethnicity breakdown of those with the surname Baum, also based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The majority identify as White, though this group has seen a slight decline of 1.70%. Those identifying as Hispanic showed the most significant growth at 98.18%, even though they make up a small proportion of Baums overall. The counts of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, and American Indian and Alaskan Native also increased over the decade, while those identifying as Black saw a minimal increase of 1.83%.

20002010Change
White95.44%93.82%-1.7%
Hispanic1.1%2.18%98.18%
Black1.64%1.67%1.83%
Two or More Races1.05%1.33%26.67%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.55%0.72%30.91%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.23%0.28%21.74%

Baum 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 Baum is British & Irish, which comprises 30.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.4%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (24.9%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish30.9%
French & German25.4%
Ashkenazi Jewish24.9%
Other18.8%
Baum

Possible origins of the surname Baum

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 Baum have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom62.90%
Greater London, United Kingdom62.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom62.40%
West Midlands, United Kingdom62.40%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom61.70%

What Baum 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 Baum is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-L29 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schwartz, Berger, Simon, Frank, Kramer, Kaufman, Weiss, Gold, Goodman, Silver.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Baum surname are: H1, H, V. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

baumPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Baum 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

Baum

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Baum" Surname 47.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Baum

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Baum" Surname 27.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Baum

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Baum" Surname 13.9%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Baum

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Baum" Surname 16.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Baum?

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 Baum are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%