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Bach History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Bach History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Wales

The surname Bach came from the western region of Britain known as Wales. This name started out as a nickname for a small or short man, derived from the Welsh word "bach," which means "little."

Early Origins of the Bach family

The surname Bach was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Bach family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bach research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1450, 1545, 1600, 1612, 1615 and 1622 are included under the topic Early Bach History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bach Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Bach has occasionally been spelled Baugh, Bach, Bagh, Bawgh, Baughe, Bawghe and others.

Early Notables of the Bach family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Geoffrey Bagh, a prominent 15th century landholder in Shropshire. William Baffin (d. 1622), was an English navigator and discoverer, most probably a native of London, but nothing is known of his early life. "The earliest mention of him is in 1612, as pilot of the Patience, fitted out at Hull by James Hall, for a voyage of discovery to Greenland. Amongst early navigators Baffin takes a high place as one of the first who endeavoured to determine longitude at sea by astronomical observations. In his first recorded voyage to Greenland (8 July...
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bach Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bach Ranking

In the United States, the name Bach is the 3,620^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Bach is ranked the 1,294^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,358 people with that name. 2

Bach migration to the United States +

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Bach:

Bach Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jos Bach, who landed in Virginia in 1635 3
Thomas Bach, who settled in Virginia in 1638

Bach Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Gabriel Bach, who settled in Georgia in 1734
Johan Bach, who settled in Philadelphia in 1744
Andreas Bach, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1768

Bach Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Albert Bach, aged 33, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Gascogne", heading to Utica 4
Mrs. Rosina Bach, aged 23, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Gascogne", heading to Utica 5
Mr. Hans Bach, aged 30, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Gascogne" 6
Mr. Ludwig Bach, aged 20, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Werkendam" 7

Bach migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bach Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Harriet Bach, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 8
Alfred Bach, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 8
Thomas Bach, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 8
Mrs. Harriet Bach, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th February 1863 9
Mr. Alfred Bach, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th February 1863 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bach (post 1700) +

Sheldon Bach (1925-2021), American psychologist and psychoanalyst based in New York City
John William "Johnny" Bach (1924-2016), American professional basketball player and coach
Barbara Bach (b. 1947), American actress and model known as the Bond girl from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me
Jean-François Bach (1940-2023), French medical professor, biologist and immunologist, Secrétaire perpétuel honoraire of the Académie des sciences
Adela Christian Bach Bottino (1959-2019), Argentine-Mexican actress and producer of telenovelas
André Bach (1943-2017), French general and historian
August Bach, German politician in the former East German government
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), prolific German composer whos works include: Brandenburg concertos; the Goldberg Variations; the English Suites; the Mass in B Minor; the St Matthew Passion; and many more
Wilhelm Friedmann Bach (1710-1784), German composer, eldest son and pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732-1795), German composer, ninth son of Johann Sebastian Bach

Historic Events for the Bach family +

Bismarck

Werner Bach (1922-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 10

Empress of Ireland

Miss Edith Christina Bach (1874-1914), American Second Class Passenger from Rochester, Minnesota, United States who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland 11
Mr. Reinholdt Bach (1836-1914), American Second Class Passenger from Rochester, Minnesota, United States who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 11

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2022
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2023
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2044
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2074
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html