2000
#288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 95,896
First available Census row
Per 100,000 35.55
Common Last name
Barrett
An English occupational surname referring to a bear trainer or keeper of bears.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111,086 Americans carry the last name Barrett. That puts it at #325 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 32.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,085 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barrett 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 Barrett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
111K
1 in 3,085
Census rank
#325
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
32.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96,872 bearers of the surname Barrett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 32.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 325th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barrett
The surname Barrett originated in England, specifically in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, sometime around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "barat," which means strife or discord, and was initially used as a nickname for someone who was contentious or quarrelsome.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Barett." This indicates that the name had already been established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name was commonly spelled in various ways, including Barret, Barett, Barret, and Baratt. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling that were common before standardization became more widespread.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Barrett was Sir Walter Barrett, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Norfolk.
In the 14th century, the name appears in several historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where it is listed as "Barette."
Another notable figure was John Barrett, a 15th-century English politician and landowner from Hertfordshire, who served as a Member of Parliament for the county in 1455.
In the 16th century, the Barrett family played a significant role in the English Reformation. Thomas Barrett (1490-1558) was an influential Protestant reformer and a close associate of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
During the 17th century, the name was often associated with place names, such as Barrett's Grove in Stoke Newington, London, which was named after a local landowner named Barrett.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Barrett was Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), the renowned English poet whose works include "Sonnets from the Portuguese" and "Aurora Leigh."
Another notable figure was Sir Edward Barrett (1788-1876), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and was instrumental in the founding of several Australian settlements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barrett
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Barrett 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 Barrett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 75,061
- Black or African American13.5% · 13,073
- Two or more races3.9% · 3,795
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 3,580
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 816
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 547
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barrett
Barrett 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
#314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100,104
+4,208 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 33.94
Rank movement Down 26 places
2020
#325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96,872
-3,232 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 32.41
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #288 | 95,896 | 35.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #314 | 100,104 | 33.94 | +4,208 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 26 places |
| 2020 | #325 | 96,872 | 32.41 | -3,232 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11 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 Barrett 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 | #314 | #325 | -3.5% |
| Count | 100,104 | 96,872 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 33.94 | 32.41 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barrett bearers went from 100,104 to 96,872 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #314 to #325.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barrett
FAQ
Barrett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barrett?
Name Census estimates that about 111,086 living Americans carry the surname Barrett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,085 residents.
How common is Barrett?
Barrett ranks #325 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 32.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 32 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 96,872 people with the surname Barrett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 32.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 32.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 32 of them to have the surname Barrett.
Has Barrett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barrett went from 100,104 recorded bearers to 96,872. That is a decrease of 3,232 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #314 to #325.
What does the Census say about the background of Barrett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Barrett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (75,061 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barrett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (13.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Barrett (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 Barrett mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a bear trainer or keeper of bears. 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 Barrett (32.41 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 Americans have the surname Barrett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.