2000
#6,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,607
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Barnwell
Derived from a place name meaning "stream by a barn" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,321 Americans carry the last name Barnwell. That puts it at #6,980 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barnwell 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 Barnwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,415
Census rank
#6,980
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,640 bearers of the surname Barnwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6980th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barnwell
The surname Barnwell has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from a place called Barnwell, which was once a village located near Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. The name Barnwell is believed to be derived from the Old English words "bere" meaning "barn" and "well" meaning "a spring or stream."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Barnwell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book refers to a place called "Barnewelle" in Cambridgeshire, which is likely the origin of the surname.
In the 12th century, a priory known as the Priory of St. Giles and St. Andrew was established in Barnwell, near Cambridge. This priory played a significant role in the history of the area, and it is possible that some individuals may have adopted the surname Barnwell from their association with the priory or the surrounding village.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Barnwell was John Barnwell, who was born around 1320 in Cambridgeshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire in 1347.
Another notable figure with the surname Barnwell was Robert Barnwell (c. 1395-1470), who was an English clergyman and served as the Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1443 until his death in 1470.
In the 16th century, a family with the surname Barnwell owned a manor house in Tolethorpe, Rutland. The manor house, known as Barnwell Manor, was built in the late 16th century and still stands today.
John Barnwell (1642-1709) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the late 17th century. He was also a prominent landowner and held the position of High Sheriff of Hertfordshire.
In the 18th century, Thomas Barnwell (1732-1805) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings, including the St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, and the Shire Hall in Monmouth, Wales.
While the surname Barnwell has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to immigration and population movements over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barnwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Barnwell 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 Barnwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.3% · 2,752
- Black or African American31.4% · 1,456
- Two or more races4.8% · 225
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 162
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barnwell
Barnwell 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
#7,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,781
+174 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 262 places
2020
#6,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,640
-141 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,744 | 4,607 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,006 | 4,781 | 1.62 | +174 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 262 places |
| 2020 | #6,980 | 4,640 | 1.55 | -141 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 26 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 Barnwell 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 | #7,006 | #6,980 | 0.4% |
| Count | 4,781 | 4,640 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.55 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barnwell bearers went from 4,781 to 4,640 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,006 to #6,980.
FAQ
Barnwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barnwell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,321 living Americans carry the surname Barnwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,415 residents.
How common is Barnwell?
Barnwell ranks #6,980 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,640 people with the surname Barnwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,321), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Barnwell.
Has Barnwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barnwell went from 4,781 recorded bearers to 4,640. That is a decrease of 141 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,006 to #6,980.
What does the Census say about the background of Barnwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Barnwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (2,752 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barnwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.3%), Black (31.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Barnwell (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 Barnwell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "stream by a barn" in Old English. 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 Barnwell (1.55 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 Barnwell?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Barnwell is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.