Baum
A German surname meaning “tree,” often applied as a topographic or house-name surname.
The #2,230 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,902 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Baum is the German word for “tree,” going back to Middle High German and Old High German forms meaning the same thing. As a surname, it was likely first used for someone living by a notable tree, at a house marked by a tree, or from some other feature of the landscape. Some older writers also wondered whether a few bearers might trace the name to a place-name, but the basic meaning is simply “tree.”
History
The name is well established in German-speaking areas and also appears in English records as an immigrant or naturalized surname. Related German surnames such as Baumann and Baumgartner show the same root and helped keep the word visible in surname dictionaries. In English sources, Baums are often treated as German in origin rather than native English.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root appears in several compound surnames, including Baumann (“builder” in older dictionary glossing) and Baumgartner (“gardener/nurseryman”).
From the historical record
“Eng. Bower^. BAUM (Ger.) Tree [M.H.Ger. O.H.Ger. 6o«»i] Eng. Beam. ^ BAUMANN (Ger.) BuilDer [M.H.Ger. O.H.Ger. bu, building, construction + mdn(n]\ BAUMGARTNER (Ger.) Nurseryman* [see Baum ; and + gdrtner, gardener, f. M.H.Ger. ^art^, 'O.H.Ger. garto, garden] BAYER (Ger.) Bavarian [f. the Latinized;”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)