2000
#2,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,696
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.45
Uncommon Last name
Bartholomew
Son of Talmai, an Aramaic name meaning "furrowed" or "rich in land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,984 Americans carry the last name Bartholomew. That puts it at #2,398 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,181 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartholomew 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 Bartholomew with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,181
Census rank
#2,398
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,811 bearers of the surname Bartholomew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2398th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartholomew, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartholomew
The surname Bartholomew is of English origin, derived from the given name Bartholomew. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for a person who worked as a tanner or leather worker. The name is derived from the Aramaic bar-Talmay, meaning "son of the furrows," referring to the process of tanning leather.
In England, the name Bartholomew can be traced back to the 12th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, where a Hugo Bartholomew is mentioned.
The Bartholomew surname is also associated with various places in England, such as Bartholomew Close in London, which was named after the Priory of St. Bartholomew, founded in 1123. Other place names related to the surname include Bartholomew Fair, an annual event held in London from the 12th to the 19th century.
Notable historical figures with the surname Bartholomew include John Bartholomew (1805-1861), a Scottish cartographer and engraver who founded the famous map-making firm John Bartholomew and Son. Another prominent individual was William Bartholomew (1793-1850), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Polytechnic Institution.
In the literary world, the surname Bartholomew is associated with James Bartholomew (1737-1799), an English poet and editor who published works such as "The Beauties of Shakespeare" and "The Poetical Works of John Dryden."
Bartholomew Richard Taunton (1770-1859) was an English topographer and author who wrote several works on the history and antiquities of various counties in England, including "The Antiquities of Wiltshire" and "The Topographical Description of Somersetshire."
The Bartholomew surname also has connections to the Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. While the name itself is not explicitly mentioned, there are references to individuals with the given name Bartholomew, indicating the presence of the name in England during the Norman period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartholomew
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartholomew, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartholomew 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 Bartholomew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 12,185
- Black or African American8.9% · 1,320
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 550
- Two or more races3.7% · 541
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 76
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartholomew
Bartholomew 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
#2,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,339
+643 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 5.20
Rank movement Down 108 places
2020
#2,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,811
-528 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 4.96
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,266 | 14,696 | 5.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,374 | 15,339 | 5.20 | +643 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 108 places |
| 2020 | #2,398 | 14,811 | 4.96 | -528 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 24 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 Bartholomew 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 | #2,374 | #2,398 | -1.0% |
| Count | 15,339 | 14,811 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.20 | 4.96 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartholomew bearers went from 15,339 to 14,811 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,374 to #2,398.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bartholomew
FAQ
Bartholomew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartholomew?
Name Census estimates that about 16,984 living Americans carry the surname Bartholomew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,181 residents.
How common is Bartholomew?
Bartholomew ranks #2,398 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,811 people with the surname Bartholomew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,984), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Bartholomew.
Has Bartholomew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartholomew went from 15,339 recorded bearers to 14,811. That is a decrease of 528 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,374 to #2,398.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartholomew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartholomew, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (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 Bartholomew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (12,185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartholomew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.3%), Black (8.9%), Hispanic (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 Bartholomew (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 Bartholomew mean?
Son of Talmai, an Aramaic name meaning "furrowed" or "rich in land." 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 Bartholomew (4.96 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 Bartholomew?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.