Baptiste Family History

French and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the personal name Baptiste derived from Latin Baptista ‘baptist’ the distinguishing epithet of Saint John the Baptist who baptized people including Jesus Christ in the river Jordan (Mark). The Latin name is from Greek baptistēs literally ‘one who washes’ (from baptisma ‘the act of washing’).

For Christians, baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin prior to admission to the Church. This surname is also found in England mainly as a surname of Huguenot origin.

Compare Baptist, Batiste, and Battiste and also Portuguese and Spanish Baptista and Batista, Italian Battista.