Baptist History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Baptist dates back to the days of Medieval France, in the region of Normandy. It is derived from their residence in the seigneury of Batiste, which was named after Saint Jean Baptiste.
Early Origins of the Baptist family
The surname Baptist was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where they held a family seat in the Seigneurie of Batiste in the Benefice De Pardieu. Saint Jean Baptiste (St Jean le Precurseur) gave origin to the surname Baptiste.
Early History of the Baptist family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baptist research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1631, 1644, 1663, 1681, 1691, 1714 and 1724 are included under the topic Early Baptist History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Baptist Spelling Variations
History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Baptist, some of which include Baptiste, Baptist, Batiste, Batist, Batis, Batie and many more.
Early Notables of the Baptist family
Notable amongst the family in this period was
- Jean Baptiste de Champaigne (1631-1681), a Flemish Baroque painter and teacher; and Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste (1663-1714), a French privateer famous for the success he had against New England merc...
- John Gaspars Baptist (d. 1691), was a portrait and tapestry painter, born at Antwerp, and was a pupil of Bossaert. 1
- Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours (1644-1724) was born a Princess of Savoy and became the Duchess of Savoy by marriage. At the time of her death she was the mother of the King of Sardinia as well...
Baptist Ranking
In the United States, the name Baptist is the 9,746th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
Baptist migration to the United States +
France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Baptist has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Baptist were
Baptist Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Johan Baptist, who landed in New York in 1709 3
- John Baptist, who settled in Virginia in 1774
Baptist Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Baptist, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 3
- John Baptist, who settled in New York in 1823
- Isaac Baptist, who arrived in New York in 1823 3
- Mr. John Baptist, (b. 1815), aged 35, Venezuelan servant traveling from Barbados aboard the ship "Fairmount" arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1850 4
Baptist migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Baptist Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Charles Baptist, (lill), English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Contemporary Notables of the name Baptist (post 1700) +
- Thomas Baptist, American rock guitarist
- John Baptist Todd O.F.M. (1921-2017), Franciscan priest
- Johannes Baptist Kerner (b. 1964), German television sportscaster
- Walter Baptist Money (1848-1924), English clergyman and cricketer
- Johann Baptist Mehler (1860-1930), German Catholic priest, prelate
- Johann Baptist Mader, Austrian sculptor
- Johann Baptist Straub (1704-1784), German Rococo sculptor
- John Baptist Cramer (1771-1858), German pianist
- Giovanni Baptist Niccolini (1782-1861), Italian writer
Citations +
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Barbados archives retrieved 2nd November 2021 from https://attheBarbadosarchives.wordpress.com/2003/07/18/Barbados-heritage-passenger-lists-and-Barbados-departures/
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde