2000
#41,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Baribeau
An occupational surname derived from French referring to someone who operated a barricade or tollgate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 622 Americans carry the last name Baribeau. That puts it at #43,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 551,052 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baribeau 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
622
1 in 551,052
Census rank
#43,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
542
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 542 bearers of the surname Baribeau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baribeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baribeau
The surname Baribeau finds its origins in France, where it emerged during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from a topographic name, potentially referring to an area near a river or a stream. The name may have originated from the Old French words "bari," meaning "barrier," and "beau," meaning "beautiful," suggesting a connection to a picturesque location near a river crossing or a ford.
Records indicate that the surname Baribeau was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany, where it first appeared in historical documents. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century, which mentions a person named Robertus Baribeau.
In the 17th century, during the era of French colonization in North America, several individuals bearing the surname Baribeau immigrated to New France, now known as Canada. Among the earliest recorded examples is Jacques Baribeau, who arrived in Quebec in 1663, and established a family lineage in the region.
Throughout history, the Baribeau surname has been associated with notable individuals. One such figure was Jean-Baptiste Baribeau (1761-1844), a prominent farmer and landowner in the Richelieu Valley of Quebec, who played a role in the development of agriculture in the region.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Étienne Baribeau (1819-1891), a Canadian politician and businessman. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and was involved in various industries, including shipping and lumber.
In the realm of arts and literature, Léon Baribeau (1865-1931) was a French-Canadian poet and journalist known for his contributions to the literary scene in Quebec during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Baribeau name also gained recognition in the field of education with the accomplishments of Roger Baribeau (1923-2010), a renowned professor of Romance languages and literature at the University of Toronto, who made significant contributions to the study of French literature and culture.
While the surname Baribeau has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through the migration of French-speaking populations. However, the name remains closely tied to its French heritage and the rich historical tapestry woven by generations of individuals who carried this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baribeau
Among Census respondents with the surname Baribeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Baribeau 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 Baribeau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 489
- Two or more races5.4% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 5
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baribeau
Baribeau 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
#41,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 522
+33 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 202 places
2020
#43,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 542
+20 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 1,351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,859 | 489 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,657 | 522 | 0.18 | +33 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 202 places |
| 2020 | #43,008 | 542 | 0.18 | +20 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 1,351 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 Baribeau 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 | #41,657 | #43,008 | -3.2% |
| Count | 522 | 542 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baribeau bearers went from 522 to 542 (+3.8% change). The surname moved down 1,351 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,657 to #43,008.
FAQ
Baribeau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baribeau?
Name Census estimates that about 622 living Americans carry the surname Baribeau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 551,052 residents.
How common is Baribeau?
Baribeau ranks #43,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 542 people with the surname Baribeau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (622), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Baribeau.
Has Baribeau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baribeau went from 522 recorded bearers to 542. That is an increase of 20 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #41,657 to #43,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Baribeau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baribeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Baribeau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baribeau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Baribeau (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 Baribeau mean?
An occupational surname derived from French referring to someone who operated a barricade or tollgate. 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 Baribeau (0.18 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 Baribeau?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Baribeau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.