2000
#1,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,517
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.23
Uncommon Last name
Barnard
An English occupational surname for a person who kept a barn or worked in one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,962 Americans carry the last name Barnard. That puts it at #1,839 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,607 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barnard 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 Barnard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,607
Census rank
#1,839
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,152 bearers of the surname Barnard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1839th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barnard
The surname Barnard originated from the Anglo-Norman French personal name Barnard, which was derived from the Old German names Bernhard and Bernard. These names were composed of the elements bern, meaning "bear," and hard, meaning "hardy" or "brave." The name Barnard thus signified "brave as a bear."
The Barnard surname first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is believed to have been introduced by Norman settlers who arrived with William the Conqueror. The name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Barnard surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Robertus Barnard is mentioned. The name also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcestershire in 1199, referring to a Robert Barnard.
In the 13th century, the surname was found in various forms, such as Barnarde, Barnerd, and Barnerde, reflecting the evolution of spelling conventions. The place name Barnard Castle in County Durham, England, which dates back to the 12th century, is believed to have been named after a person with the surname Barnard.
Notable individuals with the surname Barnard include:
1. John Barnard (c. 1685-1770), an American politician and farmer who served as the colonial governor of Massachusetts Bay Province.
2. Anne Barnard (1750-1825), a British writer and travel author known for her works on the Middle East.
3. Frederick Barnard (1846-1896), an English illustrator famous for his illustrations in Charles Dickens' novels.
4. Edward Emerson Barnard (1857-1923), an American astronomer who discovered several comets and was the first to observe the Barnard's Star.
5. Christiaan Barnard (1922-2001), a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human heart transplant in 1967.
The Barnard surname has a rich history, originating from the Anglo-Norman French personal name and evolving over centuries in England and other parts of the world. It has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, reflecting its enduring presence throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barnard
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Barnard 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 Barnard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 16,542
- Black or African American4.4% · 847
- Two or more races4.3% · 820
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 693
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 120
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barnard
Barnard 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
#1,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,366
+849 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 6.90
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#1,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,152
-1,214 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 6.41
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,681 | 19,517 | 7.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,760 | 20,366 | 6.90 | +849 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #1,839 | 19,152 | 6.41 | -1,214 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 79 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 Barnard 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 | #1,760 | #1,839 | -4.5% |
| Count | 20,366 | 19,152 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.90 | 6.41 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barnard bearers went from 20,366 to 19,152 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,760 to #1,839.
FAQ
Barnard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barnard?
Name Census estimates that about 21,962 living Americans carry the surname Barnard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,607 residents.
How common is Barnard?
Barnard ranks #1,839 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,152 people with the surname Barnard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,962), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Barnard.
Has Barnard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barnard went from 20,366 recorded bearers to 19,152. That is a decrease of 1,214 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,760 to #1,839.
What does the Census say about the background of Barnard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Barnard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (16,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barnard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Barnard (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 Barnard mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who kept a barn or worked in one. 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 Barnard (6.41 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 Barnard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.