Fun Facts About the Name Baltasar
- 56 babies named Baltasar: U.S. records list 56 babies given the name Baltasar from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Baltasar Mean?
Baltasar is a Spanish and Portuguese form of Balthasar. The name is ultimately from the Akkadian Bēl-šar-uṣur, meaning "Bel, protect the king," which reached European languages through the Greek Βαλτάσαρ (Baltasar). Its components are Bēl, a title of the Babylonian god Marduk meaning "lord"; šar, "king"; and uṣur, an imperative from naṣāru, "to protect." The Hebrew Bible has the same name as Belshazzar, the Babylonian king in the Book of Daniel. Daniel himself receives the related name Belteshazzar; its exact form and meaning are disputed, but it belongs to the same Babylonian name tradition. Some later Christian writers gave the meaning as "God protect the king," replacing the pagan god Bel with God; that is a customary reinterpretation, not the literal etymology.
Baltasar Name History & Origins
The name goes back to the Akkadian Bēl-šar-uṣur, the name of the Neo-Babylonian king Belshazzar in the Book of Daniel. Greek writers rendered it as Βαλτάσαρ (Baltasar), and Latin writers as Baltassar or Balthasar. From the Latin form came the vernacular names of Europe, including Spanish and Portuguese Baltasar, French Balthazar, Italian Baldassarre, and German Balthasar.
Western Christian tradition gives the name Balthasar to one of the Magi who visit the child Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel does not name the Magi; the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar are later. Medieval devotion to the Magi, including the placement of their relics at Cologne in 1164, is one context in which the name Balthasar was known in Europe. In Spain and Portugal, Baltasar became a conventional given name and was carried to Latin America and other Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking regions. The spelling Baltasar is typical of Spanish and Portuguese, while English and French usually add the h (Balthasar, Balthazar).
How Popular is the Name Baltasar?
Baltasar has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1916. Its best rank was #3,206 in 1916.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #11,656 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #11,062 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #8,808 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #8,992 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #8,224 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1988 | #6,501 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #5,629 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,338 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #5,121 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1916 | #3,206 | 7 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with B
How the Name Baltasar Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Baltasar's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Baltasar's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.