2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bairstow
A toponymic name derived from the town of Bairstow, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 178 Americans carry the last name Bairstow. That puts it at #118,445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,925,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bairstow surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bairstow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
178
1 in 1,925,586
Census rank
#118,445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
155
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 155 bearers of the surname Bairstow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 118445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bairstow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bairstow
The surname Bairstow is of English origin, deriving from the region of West Yorkshire. It is believed to have originated as a locational name referring to a place now known as Bairstow, located near the town of Keighley. The name is thought to come from the Old English words "bær" meaning "bear" and "stow" meaning "place" or "meeting place".
Records indicate that the earliest known spelling of the name was Bayrestowe, which appeared in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. Other early spellings include Bayrstowe, Bairstowgh, and Bairestawe, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1485, where a John Barestowe is mentioned. Another notable early reference is in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1553, which mentions a William Bairstow.
In terms of historical figures bearing the Bairstow name, one of the earliest was Sir William Bairstow (1642-1712), who served as Lord Mayor of York in 1704. Another prominent individual was John Bairstow (1700-1763), a renowned English musician and composer who served as organist at York Minster.
In later years, Sir Leonard Bairstow (1880-1963) was a notable English engineer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of aeronautics. His contemporary, Edward Bairstow (1874-1946), was a prominent English cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England in the early 20th century.
Another famous bearer of the name was Sir Andrew Bairstow (1904-1983), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as Ambassador to the United Nations from 1964 to 1967.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Bairstow, which has its roots in the West Yorkshire region of England and likely originated as a locational name referring to the place now known as Bairstow.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bairstow
Among Census respondents with the surname Bairstow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bairstow bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bairstow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 7
- Two or more races2.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bairstow
Bairstow appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
+14 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,125 places
2020
#118,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155
+6 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 2,125 places |
| 2020 | #118,445 | 155 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 1,616 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bairstow surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #116,829 | #118,445 | -1.4% |
| Count | 149 | 155 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bairstow bearers went from 149 to 155 (+4.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #118,445.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bairstow
FAQ
Bairstow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bairstow?
Name Census estimates that about 178 living Americans carry the surname Bairstow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,925,586 residents.
How common is Bairstow?
Bairstow ranks #118,445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 155 people with the surname Bairstow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (178), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bairstow.
Has Bairstow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bairstow went from 149 recorded bearers to 155. That is an increase of 6 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #118,445.
What does the Census say about the background of Bairstow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bairstow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bairstow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (141 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bairstow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bairstow (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bairstow mean?
A toponymic name derived from the town of Bairstow, England. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bairstow (0.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Bairstow?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Bairstow at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.