The Batten surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,716 people carried this name — #4,597 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 38,200 people counted. That is up 6% from 7,267 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Batten surname

English surname, pet form of Batt.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Batten» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Bartholomew’.

An early record he cites: Joel Batin, Devon, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Batten, Battenson, Battinson, Battison and Battin.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 85 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Batten was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Devon: 18 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 556. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Batting and Batten.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Devon 18
Cornwall 10

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

41 families named Batten, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 233 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 14
Virginia 9
North Carolina 6
Massachusetts 4
New Hampshire 2
Maryland 2
South Carolina 2
Rhode Island 1
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 228 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Batten in American newspapers,
1883–1924.

Newspaper page from Helena Weekly Herald carrying the name Batten
Helena Weekly Herald 1883-02-22
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Batten
Daily Kennebec Journal 1924-10-15
Newspaper page from Helena Weekly Herald carrying the name Batten
Helena Weekly Herald 1883-02-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 113,144 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Batten in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

36,529 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Batten. The most, 15,487, date from the 1930s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 11,716
New South Wales 8,618
South Australia 5,084
Queensland 4,187
Tasmania 4,146
Western Australia 2,483
ACT (Canberra) 150
Northern Territory 62

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Batten.

Who carried it

People named Batten,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lauriston Leonard Batten d. 1934
  • Helen Laura Gibbs d. 1947
  • Mary Evelyn Locke d. 1962
  • Elizabeth Batten d. 1711
  • Margaret Daisy Batten d. 1939
  • Lydia Johns Bolitho d. 1856

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Batten,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States614 records

614 records of the Batten name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 263
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 110
  • Other U.S. records 241
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Donald H. Batten

    Born 1916 in Kansas. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles, California; apprentice. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Reginald James Batten

    Born 1931; from Kew Gardens, New York. U.S. Marine Corps; died of wounds 1951 in Korea. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizabeth Batten

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Gallia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 76; matron. From Devonshire, England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 614 records for Batten in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia960 records

960 records of the Batten name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 390
  • Tasmanian Names Index 248
  • Other Australian records 322
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Batten

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Maria, sailing from Portsmouth in 1820. Native of London, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1839.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Batten

    Died 1913 in South Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1913.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizabeth A. Batten

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Kyle, aged 52; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 960 records for Batten in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands145 records

145 records of the Batten name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 58
  • Dutch population registers 57
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 30
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jan Willem Batten

    Married in 1887 in Coevorden; "rentmeester". Died 1936 in Coevorden, aged 77.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hendrika Johanna Batten

    Born 1888 in Gramsbergen. Married in 1914 in Coevorden. Died 1949 in Groningen, aged 60.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William Thomas Batten

    Died 1916 in Vlissingen, aged 49; "hofmeester".

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 145 records for Batten in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada55 records

55 records of the Batten name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 20
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 11
  • Other Canadian records 24
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Joseph B. Batten

    Killed in 1941 at the Dominion No. 2 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Marjorie Jean McDerby Batten

    Buried in 2001 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 83.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Roger Batten

    Died 1985; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 55 records for Batten in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom25 records

25 records of the Batten name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 19
  • Welsh wills index cards 3
  • Other British records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Katherine Batten

    Buried in 1939 at Mar Place Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 77.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jane Batten

    Buried in 1794 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 42.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frederick George Batten

    Will proved in 1940; of Gibraltar.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 25 records for Batten in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand12 records

12 records of the Batten name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 8
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edgar Tasman Batten

    Died 1944, aged 61; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record L. Batten

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Batten

    Died 1907, aged 84; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Batten in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Germany3 records

3 records of the Batten name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Wilhelm Batten

    From Hamborn. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 11 November 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 137).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Heinrich Batten

    From Micherwux, Liege. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 24 October 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 57).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Batten in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Batten name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Robert Edward Batten

    Born 1906 in Great Britain; died 1999 in Redon (Ille-et-Vilaine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Batten.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Batten is.
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