2000
#4,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Rare Last name
Bahr
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked near a swamp or muddy place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,870 Americans carry the last name Bahr. That puts it at #4,445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,642 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bahr 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.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,642
Census rank
#4,445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,735 bearers of the surname Bahr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bahr
The surname BAHR is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word 'baro', which meant 'free man' or 'yeoman'. The name first appeared in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany during the 12th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name BAHR can be found in medieval German records and manuscripts, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which dates back to the 13th century. The name is also mentioned in the Deutsches Städtebuch, a compilation of medieval town records from the 14th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname BAHR was Hans Bahr, a German merchant and alderman who lived in the city of Nuremberg during the late 15th century (c. 1450-1520). Another notable figure was Johann Bahr, a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Leipzig, who lived from 1592 to 1659.
In the 17th century, the name BAHR appeared in various place names, such as Bahrenhof and Bahrenfeld, which were villages or hamlets located in northern Germany. These place names were likely derived from the surname itself, indicating that families with the name BAHR had established settlements in those areas.
The surname BAHR has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including Hermann Bahr (1863-1934), an Austrian writer and literary critic known for his work on modernism and expressionism. Another prominent figure was Max Bahr (1909-1987), a German-American architect who designed several iconic buildings in Los Angeles, California.
Other individuals with the surname BAHR include Johann Christian Bahr (1801-1869), a German philologist and educator; Hermann Bahr (1930-1997), a German physicist and academic; and Egon Bahr (1922-2015), a German politician and diplomat who played a key role in the Ostpolitik of the 1970s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bahr
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bahr 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 Bahr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 6,949
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 352
- Two or more races3.2% · 248
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 68
- Black or African American0.8% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bahr
Bahr 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
#4,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,731
+121 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 271 places
2020
#4,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,735
+4 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Up 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,318 | 7,610 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,589 | 7,731 | 2.62 | +121 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 271 places |
| 2020 | #4,445 | 7,735 | 2.59 | +4 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 144 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 Bahr 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 | #4,589 | #4,445 | 3.1% |
| Count | 7,731 | 7,735 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.59 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bahr bearers went from 7,731 to 7,735 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,589 to #4,445.
FAQ
Bahr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bahr?
Name Census estimates that about 8,870 living Americans carry the surname Bahr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,642 residents.
How common is Bahr?
Bahr ranks #4,445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,735 people with the surname Bahr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,870), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bahr.
Has Bahr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bahr went from 7,731 recorded bearers to 7,735. That is an increase of 4 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,589 to #4,445.
What does the Census say about the background of Bahr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bahr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (6,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bahr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bahr (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 Bahr mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked near a swamp or muddy place. 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 Bahr (2.59 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 Bahr?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Bahr, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.