Show ContentsBaptiste History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Baptiste

What does the name Baptiste mean?

The root of this name is the Greek word "baptiste," which means to "wash" , in turn derived from "baptein", meaning "to dip, wash."

It is most probable that those who assumed this name did so as homage to Saint John the Baptist who baptized people including Christ Himself in the river Jordan.

The name Baptiste is both a first name and last name and in both cases, the name signifies "son or descendant of Baptiste. The personal name Baptiste is derived from the Latin given name Baptiste and this from the Greek word "baptiste", in turn derived from "baptein", meaning "to dip, wash."

Early Origins of the Baptiste family

The surname Baptiste was first found in Mallen in the district of Borja, in the Spanish province of Zaragoza. From this family descended two different branches, one of which was called Bautista Mallen and the other Bautista del Embajador. Both of these branches founded family seats in the town of Hijar, Teruel. A different branch of this family settled in Belchite, in the province of Zaragoza.

Early History of the Baptiste family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baptiste research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1446, 1447, 1458, 1460, 1472, 1490, 1500, 1516, 1524, 1525, 1533, 1548, 1564, 1624, 1733, 1788, 1810 and 1876 are included under the topic Early Baptiste History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baptiste Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Baptista, Baptiste, Bautista, Baptist, Batistini and many more.

Early Notables of the Baptiste family

Baptista Spagnuoli Mantuanus, O.Carm (Battista the Mantuan or simply Mantuan; also known as Johannes Baptista Spagnolo; 1447-1516), an Italian Carmelite reformer, humanist, and poet. Spagnoli was born of a Spanish family that had settled in Mantua, the northern Italian city that gave him his most commonly used English name. Camilla Battista da Varano OSCl, (1458-1524), an Italian princess and a Poor Clare nun and abbess who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. Friar João Baptista (1733-1788), born in Lisbon, was of the order of Saint Augustine, was...
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baptiste Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baptiste Ranking

the United States, the name Baptiste is the 3,302nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Baptiste is ranked the 1,758th most popular surname with an estimated 3,462 people with that name. 2


Baptiste migration to the United States +



Baptiste Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jean Francois Baptiste, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 3
  • Jean Frans Baptiste, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 3
  • Jean Baptiste, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1770 3
Baptiste Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Baptiste, aged 42, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1827 3
  • J Baptiste, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Baptiste migration to Australia +

Baptiste Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Louisa Baptiste, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Baptiste (post 1700) +

  • Kirk Baptiste (1962-2022), American gold and silver medalist track and field athlete, who mainly competed in the 200 metres from Beaumont, Texas
  • Bryan J. Baptiste (1955-2008), American Republican politician, Mayor of the County of Kauai in Hawaii from 2002 until his death 5
  • Norman Jn. Baptiste (b. 1953), American politician, Member of Virgin Islands legislature from St. Croix, 1999- 6
  • Hilson Baptiste (1947-2025), Antiguan United Progressive Party politician, Member of Parliament for St. Mary's South in the 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009 general elections
  • Jean Baptiste (1766-1813), Baron Franceschi, French general
  • Eric Jean Baptiste (1970-2022), Haitian politician and entrepreneur from Port-au-Prince, Haiti
  • Mrs. Alison Jill Baptiste C.B.E. (b. 1965), British Flood and Coastal Risk Management Director for Environment Agency, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to the Environment by Her Majesty The Queen 7
  • Henry-Jean Baptiste (1933-2018), French politician from Martinique who represented Mayotte in the French National Assembly from 1986 to 2002
  • Louis Jean Baptiste de Lavalette, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Queen Charlotte
  • Mr. Jean Baptiste, British seaman who was aboard the ship "HMS Queen Charlotte" off the coast of Capraia, Italy when she caught fire on the 17th March 1800; listed as survived


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2013, February 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  8. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 30) Louis Baptiste. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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