UK boy's name
Baptiste
A masculine name of French origin meaning "baptizer" or "one who baptizes".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Baptiste is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Baptiste popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 6 births.
This profile covers 55 England and Wales registrations across 15 recorded years from 1997 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 55 living people in the UK are called Baptiste. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Baptiste ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 6 boys were registered as Baptiste.
- • About 55 living people in the UK are estimated to have Baptiste as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4991
2023
Births in 2023
3
Latest year
Peak year
2006
6 births
Estimated living
55
2026
Meaning
What does Baptiste mean?
The given name Baptiste is derived from the Late Latin name Baptista, which itself is derived from the Greek word "baptistes" meaning "baptizer". The name is a reference to John the Baptist, a Jewish preacher who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River according to the New Testament of the Bible.
Baptiste has been a popular name throughout the Christian world, particularly in France and other French-speaking regions. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 12th century, when it was mentioned in various medieval French documents and records.
One of the earliest and most notable figures to bear the name Baptiste was Jean Baptiste de La Salle, a French priest and educational reformer who lived from 1651 to 1719. He is renowned for founding the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Catholic religious teaching congregation dedicated to providing education to the poor.
Another prominent historical figure with the name Baptiste was Jean Baptiste Colbert, a French politician who served as the Controller-General of Finances under King Louis XIV from 1665 to 1683. He is credited with implementing various economic reforms and policies that helped strengthen the French economy during the reign of the Sun King.
In the realm of art, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, a French landscape painter, was a notable figure who lived from 1796 to 1875. He is considered one of the greatest masters of the Barbizon school of painters and is renowned for his depictions of the French countryside.
In the field of science, Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier, a French mathematician and physicist, made significant contributions to the study of heat transfer and the analysis of mathematical series. He lived from 1768 to 1830 and is best known for the development of the Fourier series, which has wide applications in various fields of physics and engineering.
Lastly, Jean Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who lived from 1622 to 1673. He is considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature, and his works, such as "Tartuffe" and "The Misanthrope," have had a lasting influence on the development of comedy and satire.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Baptiste over time
The chart below shows babies named Baptiste registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Baptiste, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 6 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Baptiste by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Baptiste was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4991 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4153 | 24 | 6 |
| 2000s | #3519 | 22 | 6 |
| 1990s | #2880 | 6 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Baptiste
- Benjamin 90,412
- Ben 36,356
- Bradley 30,230
- Brandon 26,411
- Billy 18,608
- Bobby 16,904
- Blake 16,337
- Bailey 16,014
- Brody 7,230
- Beau 6,722
- Barnaby 5,284
- Brodie 4,801
FAQ
Baptiste: questions and answers
How popular is the name Baptiste in the UK right now?
In 2023, Baptiste was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Baptiste most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 6 babies registered as Baptiste in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Baptiste?
A masculine name of French origin meaning "baptizer" or "one who baptizes".
How many people are called Baptiste in the UK?
A total of 55 babies have been registered as Baptiste across the 15 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.