Given name & surname
Bach
Bach is a surname from German, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European. It is used in English, German, Portuguese, Polish, and 2 other languages.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Bach is a variant of Bacchus. An origin associated with Bacchus is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From German Bach, from Middle High German bach, from Old High German bah, from Proto-West Germanic *baki, from Proto-Germanic *bakiz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1983. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Bach is a variant of Bacchus. The history of Bacchus gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Bacchus is associated with the god of wine.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Bach through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 74
- 74 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2013
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2020. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,096 as a first name in 2020; 11,821 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bach’s family of names
In English usage, Bach as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Bai. Bach has a related form in Bacchus. In German usage, Bach as a surname has a related form in Becker.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Bach has relatives in 6 languages.
10 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Bach, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.