Bartow
A masculine given name derived from the Old English words "beorn" and "tun", meaning "barn settlement" or "barley town".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Bartow. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bartow today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bartow births was 1917 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bartow. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Bartow is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bartows were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bartow. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1917
12 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1946 SSA rank
#3,564
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Bartow: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bartow from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 51 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bartow by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bartow during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bartows live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bartow
The given name Bartow is an English variant of the Hebrew name Baruch, meaning "blessed." It finds its roots in ancient Semitic languages, with similar spellings like Barakah in Arabic and Brukh in Aramaic. The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly among Jewish communities in Europe.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Bartow is in the biblical Book of Nehemiah, where Baruch is listed as one of the signatories of a covenant with God. The name also appears in various Talmudic texts and rabbinical writings from the first few centuries AD.
During the Renaissance period, the name Bartow saw a resurgence in use, often associated with scholars and intellectuals. One notable figure was Bartow Parry (1510-1522), a Welsh humanist and translator who contributed to the early English translations of the Bible.
In the 17th century, Bartow Andrewes (1635-1696) was an influential English clergyman and chaplain to Queen Anne. He was known for his sermons and theological writings, which helped shape the doctrines of the Church of England.
The 18th century saw the rise of Bartow Galbraith (1721-1799), a Scottish-American politician and jurist who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as an associate justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
In the 19th century, Bartow Elmore (1820-1878) was a prominent Confederate officer during the American Civil War, earning fame for his leadership at the Battle of Shiloh and other engagements.
Another notable figure was Bartow Beers (1842-1920), an American lawyer and explorer who led expeditions to South America and published several books on his travels and discoveries in the region.
While the name Bartow has declined in popularity in recent decades, it remains a unique and historically significant choice, carrying echoes of its ancient Hebrew origins and the diverse individuals who have borne it throughout the centuries.
People
Bartow + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bartow as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bartow: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bartow?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bartow going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Bartow a common name?
We classify Bartow as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 114 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bartow most popular?
The single biggest year for Bartow was 1917, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bartow is about 94 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bartow in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bartow a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bartow in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bartow still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bartow in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bartow can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Bartow?
You can see how many Americans are named Bartow on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.