How Many People Are Named Baxter?

An estimated 2,485 people in the United States have the first name Baxter. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 36 years old, and Baxter peaked in popularity in 2014 with 74 births that year.

Below you will find a full statistical profile of Baxter as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Baxter paired with any surname.

Estimated Living Americans

2,485

About 1 in 137,929 people in the U.S.

Rarity

Rare

Very Rare Very Common

Predicted Gender

Male

100.0% confidence

Average Age

36

years old

Peak Year

2014

74 births

Total Registered

3,996

since 1880

Gender Distribution for Baxter

Baxter is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 3,996 total births registered, 100.0% were male.

Male 3,996 (100.0%)
Female 0 (0.0%)

Baxter as a male name

Ranked #3,042 in 2024

40 male births in 2024

Peak: 2014 (74 births)

Baxter in the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census recorded 2,365 people with the first name Baxter, which placed it at #6,702 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.

Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.

Gender in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, Baxter was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 2,365 people with this name in that snapshot, 97.7% were male and 2.3% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 100.0% of the time.

Census Count

2,365

people with this name

Census Rank

#6,702

among Census first names

Frequency Rate

0.78

per 100,000 people

Male 2,311 (97.7%)
Female 54 (2.3%)

Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, the first name Baxter was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (80.01%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (9.47%) and Hispanic (4.10%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Baxter in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

White
80.01%
Black
9.47%
Hispanic
4.10%
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.01%
American Indian/Alaska Native
1.31%
Two or More Races
4.10%

2020 Census demographic breakdown

Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Baxter.

Group Share Count
White 80.01% 1,893
Black 9.47% 224
Hispanic 4.10% 97
Two or More Races 4.10% 97
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.31% 31
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.01% 24

The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.

Baxter: Popularity Over Time

SSA records for Baxter span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 610 babies were registered. Baxter has declined significantly from its peak in the 2010s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.

0 15 30 44 59 74 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Baxter by Decade

How has Baxter tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.

Decade Total Male Female
1880s 88 88 0
1890s 76 76 0
1900s 84 84 0
1910s 319 319 0
1920s 418 418 0
1930s 342 342 0
1940s 296 296 0
1950s 286 286 0
1960s 205 205 0
1970s 125 125 0
1980s 172 172 0
1990s 382 382 0
2000s 413 413 0
2010s 610 610 0
2020s 180 180 0

Baxter by State

Birth registrations for Baxter span all 20 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in North Carolina, California, Tennessee. The lowest are in West Virginia, Washington, Virginia. On average, about 44 Baxters were registered per state.

Baxter + Last Name Combinations

How many people share a full name with Baxter as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Baxter: Questions and Answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Baxter?

We estimate approximately 2,485 people named Baxter are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 137,929 Americans share this first name.

Is Baxter a common name?

Baxter is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 94.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 3,996 births have been registered with this name since 1880.

When was Baxter most popular?

Baxter reached peak popularity in 2014, when 74 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Baxter is approximately 36 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.

How common was Baxter in the 2020 Census?

The 2020 Census recorded 2,365 people with the first name Baxter. That placed it at #6,702 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.78 people per 100,000.

Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?

Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Baxter was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.

What does the Census say about the gender split for Baxter?

In the 2020 Census snapshot, Baxter was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 97.7% male and 2.3% female.

What does the Census say about the background of people named Baxter?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Baxter was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (80.01%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (9.47%) and Hispanic (4.10%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?

The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.

Is Baxter a male name?

Baxter is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.

Why can Baxter have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Baxter peaked in 2014, and the average living bearer is about 36 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.

How many Baxter Smiths are there?

To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Baxter Smith, Baxter Johnson, Baxter Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this data come from?

Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination