The Baxter surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 49,033 people carried this name — #706 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,020 people counted. That is up 2% from 47,857 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Baxter surname
A surname originating as an occupation originating in northern England and in Scotland, a variant of Baker.
From Middle English bakster, bakestre, from Old English bæcestre (“baker”), equivalent to bake + -ster.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Baxter» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 31 births for the Baxter name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 33 people named Baxter.
Most of them — 20 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 8 départements, most often Loir-et-Cher.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
20 people named Baxter live in Switzerland.
They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
57 people named Baxter is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s
Baxter was found among the farmers of 2 counties.
It was most frequent in Lincolnshire: 9 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 1,111. 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.
Where it concentrates, on the mapPer 10,000 farmers, by county
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 Scotland, 1880s
Baxter was 10 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.
That is about 1 in 1,000. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Forfarshire and Perthshire.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 586 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.
In Scotland’s registers today
Baxter was recorded 138 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 169th most common name in those registers. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 195. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.
National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the first U.S. census, 1790
151 families named Baxter, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.
Each family is counted by its head. About 819 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 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
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
Baxter in American newspapers,
1891–1893.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 14,158 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Baxter in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.
115,841 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Baxter. The most, 20,695, date from the 1930s. New South Wales 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 Western Australia, at 1.9 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Baxter.
Who carried it
People named Baxter,
with a public archive behind them.
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John Baxter d. 1927 · rugby league player
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Sophia Baxter d. 1802
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Emily Laura Baxter d. 1916
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Daphne Maureen Joyce Baxter d. 2008
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Jane Baxter d. 1963
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Lucy Baxter d. 1902
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Baxter,
in the records of 7 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 States5,885 records
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,728
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,215
- Other U.S. records 2,942
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Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Charles E. BaxterBorn 1917 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1942 at Boston; file clerk from Suffolk County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Massachusetts National Cemetery, Massachusetts.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. war memorial War record William Thomas BaxterBorn 1920; from Costa Mesa, California. U.S. Marine Corps; killed in action 1950 in Korea. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Fanny BaxterArrived at New York in 1835 aboard the Euphrates from Londonderry, aged 22; seamstress. From Ireland; bound for Philadelphia.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
Showing 3 of 5,885 records for Baxter in the United States.
Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · 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).
Australia3,357 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,709
- Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 593
- Other Australian records 1,055
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Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record John BaxterTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Waterloo, sailing from Portsmouth in 1834. Native of Marylebone, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1840.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Janet BaxterTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elizabeth & Henry, sailing from London in 1846. Native of Perth, Perthshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848. Married 1848 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 22.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Jane BaxterTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Edward, sailing from Woolwich in 1834. Native of Bacton, Norfolk. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1838. Married 1838 in Launceston, Tasmania.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 3,357 records for Baxter in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (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).
Canada1,135 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 906
- Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 49
- Other Canadian records 180
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Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Thomas Ferguson BaxterLost in the sinking of the Titanic, 1912, aged 40; a crew member. Body recovered and buried at Halifax.
Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Henry BaxterCame to Ontario in 1868 aboard the City of Paris, landing at N y, bound for Dundas, Ontario; English.
Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record George Cecil BaxterBuried in 1978 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 79.
City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
Showing 3 of 1,135 records for Baxter in Canada.
Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
United Kingdom235 records
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 131
- Stirling Council burial records 44
- Other British records 60
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Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record Charles Henry BaxterBorn 1884 at Elgin; warehouseman. Died 1918. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918 (Scottish Rifles).
National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain); National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) -
Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record Robert Simpson BaxterBorn 1894 at Ramstone; regular soldier. Died 1916. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).
National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Jessie BaxterBuried in 1920 at Callander Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 58.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Showing 3 of 235 records for Baxter in the United Kingdom.
Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
New Zealand91 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 64
- Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 19
- Other New Zealand records 8
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Marjorie Eliza BaxterDied 1967, aged 57; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Arthur Henry L. BaxterDied 1988, aged 81; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.
Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Fanny Blanche BaxterBuried in 1959 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 83.
Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 91 records for Baxter in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
Netherlands50 records
- Dutch church registers before 1811 28
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 12
- Dutch population registers 10
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Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Charles James BaxterMarried in 1945 in Roosendaal en Nispen; commercial traveller.
Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Magdalena BaxterDied 1818 in Middelburg, aged 57; "naaijster".
Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record James BaxterDied 1840 in Rotterdam, aged 32.
Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 50 records for Baxter 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).
France10 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Jacques Benjamin BaxterBorn 1937 in Creil (Oise); died 2000 in Léhon (Côtes-d'Armor).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Aldyth Violet BaxterBorn 1901 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt (Vaucluse).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 10 records for Baxter in France.
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 Baxter.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Baxter is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.