2000
#62,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Barmes
An English surname possibly derived from a Middle English place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 431 Americans carry the last name Barmes. That puts it at #58,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 795,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barmes 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 Barmes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
431
1 in 795,254
Census rank
#58,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
376
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 376 bearers of the surname Barmes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barmes
The surname BARMES is of English origin, traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bær" meaning "bare" and "mæsse" meaning "mass," possibly referring to a person who attended mass without shoes or socks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where it is spelled "Barmes." This suggests that the name was already established in various parts of England by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire as "Barmys," indicating a slight variation in spelling. This version of the name may have been influenced by the Old Norse word "barmr," meaning "breast" or "bosom."
During the 14th century, the name BARMES was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, recorded as "Barmesse." This spelling variation could be linked to the nearby town of Barmes Green, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Barmesse."
One notable bearer of the name was Robert BARMES, a merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several historical records from that time, including the Port Books of Bristol from 1479.
In the 16th century, the name BARMES appeared in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, where a certain Thomas BARMES was recorded as having been baptized in 1587.
Another prominent figure with this surname was William BARMES, a wealthy landowner from Gloucestershire who lived in the late 17th century. He is known for his contribution to the construction of the Barmes Almshouses in Cirencester, which still stand today.
In the 18th century, the BARMES name was found in various parts of England, including Lancashire and Derbyshire. One notable bearer was John BARMES (1714-1789), a renowned clockmaker from Birmingham who crafted several intricate timepieces that are now considered masterpieces of British horology.
The 19th century saw the BARMES name spread further across England, with records showing families bearing this surname in counties such as Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Staffordshire. One notable figure from this period was Charles BARMES (1823-1899), a wealthy industrialist from Leeds who owned several textile mills.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barmes
Among Census respondents with the surname Barmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Barmes 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 Barmes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 283
- Black or African American17.0% · 64
- Two or more races3.7% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barmes
Barmes 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
#102,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
-124 bearers (-41.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 40,111 places
2020
#58,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 376
+201 bearers (+114.9%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 44,381 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,577 | 299 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #102,688 | 175 | 0.06 | -124 bearers (-41.5%) | Down 40,111 places |
| 2020 | #58,307 | 376 | 0.13 | +201 bearers (+114.9%) | Up 44,381 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 Barmes 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 | #102,688 | #58,307 | 43.2% |
| Count | 175 | 376 | 114.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.13 | 109.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barmes bearers went from 175 to 376 (+114.9% change). The surname moved up 44,381 positions in the national ranking, going from #102,688 to #58,307.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barmes
FAQ
Barmes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barmes?
Name Census estimates that about 431 living Americans carry the surname Barmes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 795,254 residents.
How common is Barmes?
Barmes ranks #58,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 376 people with the surname Barmes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Barmes.
Has Barmes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barmes went from 175 recorded bearers to 376. That is an increase of 201 (+114.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #102,688 to #58,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Barmes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Barmes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (283 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barmes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.3%), Black (17.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Barmes (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 Barmes mean?
An English surname possibly derived from a Middle English place name. 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 Barmes (0.13 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 have the surname Barmes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.