2000
#3,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,088
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.37
Uncommon Last name
Barba
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to one who cuts hair or trims beards, a barber.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,236 Americans carry the last name Barba. That puts it at #3,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,012 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barba 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.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,012
Census rank
#3,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,670 bearers of the surname Barba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barba
The surname "BARBA" is of Italian origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "barba," which means "beard." This surname likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a prominent or distinctive beard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical documents of Genoa, Italy, where a certain Giovanni Barba was mentioned in the 13th century. This region, particularly the coastal areas of Liguria and the cities of Genoa and Savona, is considered a stronghold for the Barba surname.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained further prominence with the renowned Italian artist and engraver, Jacopo della Barba, who lived from around 1550 to 1615. His etchings and engravings, often depicting biblical scenes and mythological subjects, were highly regarded and influential in his time.
In the 17th century, the Barba surname made its way to Spain, where it was sometimes spelled as "Barba" or "Barva." One notable figure from this era was Pedro Barba de Campos, a Spanish jurist and magistrate who lived from 1590 to 1660.
The name also spread to other parts of Europe, including France, where it was sometimes rendered as "Barbeau" or "Barbault." In the 18th century, Jean-Jacques Barbault, a French mathematician and astronomer, made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
Across the Atlantic, the Barba surname found its way to the Americas, particularly in regions with strong Italian and Spanish influences. One notable figure was Domingo Barba, a 19th-century Mexican politician and military leader who played a role in the Mexican-American War and the Reform War in Mexico.
Despite its long history, the surname "BARBA" has remained relatively uncommon, but it continues to be carried by families with Italian, Spanish, and other European ancestries, serving as a testament to its rich cultural heritage and linguistic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barba
Among Census respondents with the surname Barba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Barba 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 Barba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino75.5% · 8,054
- White18.5% · 1,974
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 483
- Two or more races0.8% · 86
- Black or African American0.5% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barba
Barba 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
#3,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,043
+1,955 bearers (+21.5%)
Per 100,000 3.74
Rank movement Up 325 places
2020
#3,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,670
-373 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,593 | 9,088 | 3.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,268 | 11,043 | 3.74 | +1,955 bearers (+21.5%) | Up 325 places |
| 2020 | #3,311 | 10,670 | 3.57 | -373 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 43 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 Barba 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 | #3,268 | #3,311 | -1.3% |
| Count | 11,043 | 10,670 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.74 | 3.57 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barba bearers went from 11,043 to 10,670 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,268 to #3,311.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barba
FAQ
Barba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barba?
Name Census estimates that about 12,236 living Americans carry the surname Barba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,012 residents.
How common is Barba?
Barba ranks #3,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,670 people with the surname Barba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,236), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Barba.
Has Barba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barba went from 11,043 recorded bearers to 10,670. That is a decrease of 373 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,268 to #3,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Barba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barba, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.5%. The next largest groups are White (18.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (8,054 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (75.5%), White (18.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Barba (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 Barba mean?
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to one who cuts hair or trims beards, a barber. 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 Barba (3.57 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 Americans have the surname Barba?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.