2000
#10,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Bardwell
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Bardwell in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,053 Americans carry the last name Bardwell. That puts it at #11,332 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,268 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bardwell 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 Bardwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 112,268
Census rank
#11,332
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,662 bearers of the surname Bardwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11332nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bardwell
The surname Bardwell originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Bardwell, which is a parish in the county of Suffolk. The name likely comes from the Old English words "beorg" meaning hill or barrow, and "well" meaning a spring or stream, thus suggesting the name refers to a hill near a spring or stream.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Bardwell can be found in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1197, where a Robert de Bardwelle is mentioned. The Domesday Book, a great survey of England completed in 1086, does not include the name Bardwell, suggesting the name arose after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Bardewelle, Bardwelle, and Baredwelle, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling at the time. The earliest known bearer of the name was William de Bardwell, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk in 1230.
One of the notable individuals bearing the Bardwell surname was Sir Thomas Bardwell, who was born in 1349 and served as a knight and landowner in Suffolk. He was involved in several military campaigns during the Hundred Years' War and was knighted for his service in 1372.
Another prominent figure was John Bardwell, born in 1567 in Dedham, Essex. He was a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Andover, Massachusetts, where he served as the first minister of the church from 1645 until his death in 1654.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Bardwell family settled in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded members was Robert Bardwell, born in 1607 in Suffolk, England, who immigrated to Massachusetts in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and freeman in the town of Andover.
William Bardwell, born in 1692 in Andover, Massachusetts, was a notable figure in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a captain in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
Another individual of note was James Woodbridge Bardwell, born in 1856 in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. He was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as a judge in the Massachusetts Superior Court.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bardwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bardwell 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 Bardwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 2,176
- Black or African American10.0% · 267
- Two or more races3.6% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bardwell
Bardwell 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
#10,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,946
+160 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 242 places
2020
#11,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,662
-284 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 520 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,570 | 2,786 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,812 | 2,946 | 1.00 | +160 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 242 places |
| 2020 | #11,332 | 2,662 | 0.89 | -284 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 520 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 Bardwell 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 | #10,812 | #11,332 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,946 | 2,662 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.89 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bardwell bearers went from 2,946 to 2,662 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 520 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,812 to #11,332.
FAQ
Bardwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bardwell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,053 living Americans carry the surname Bardwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,268 residents.
How common is Bardwell?
Bardwell ranks #11,332 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,662 people with the surname Bardwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,053), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bardwell.
Has Bardwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bardwell went from 2,946 recorded bearers to 2,662. That is a decrease of 284 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,812 to #11,332.
What does the Census say about the background of Bardwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Bardwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (2,176 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bardwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Bardwell (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 Bardwell mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Bardwell in 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 Bardwell (0.89 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 Bardwell?
You can see how common the surname Bardwell is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.