2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bahry
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Bahry. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bahry 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Bahry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahry, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bahry
The surname Bahry has its origins in the Middle Eastern region, with roots traced back to the Arabic language. It is believed to have derived from the word "bahr," which means "sea" or "ocean" in Arabic. This suggests that the name Bahry may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near or worked on the sea.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bahry can be found in historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in areas around the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant. One notable mention of the name appears in the writings of the renowned Muslim scholar and traveler, Ibn Battuta, who documented his encounters with individuals bearing the name during his extensive travels across the Islamic world in the 14th century.
During the medieval period, the Bahry surname was closely tied to maritime activities and trades. Some historical records indicate that individuals with this surname were involved in seafaring professions, such as sailors, ship captains, or merchants engaged in maritime trade. The name may have been adopted as a way to identify one's occupation or place of residence near the coastline.
As the centuries passed, the Bahry surname spread to various regions, including parts of the Ottoman Empire and North Africa. One prominent figure who carried this name was Abdallah Bahry, a 16th-century Ottoman historian and scholar from Egypt, who authored several works on the history of the Mamluk Sultanate.
Another notable individual with the Bahry surname was Ahmed Bahry, a 17th-century Moroccan scholar and writer. He gained recognition for his contributions to Islamic literature and his works on Islamic jurisprudence.
In the 19th century, the Bahry surname can be found in various parts of the Middle East and North Africa. One example is Amin Bahry, a Syrian-born scholar and linguist who lived between 1813 and 1888. He made significant contributions to the study of Arabic language and literature.
Khalil Bahry was a prominent Egyptian writer and journalist who lived from 1865 to 1935. He played a influential role in the literary and cultural circles of his time, advocating for social reforms and modernization in Egypt.
While the Bahry surname has its roots in the Middle East, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its historical ties to the Arabic language and maritime traditions remain an integral part of its cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bahry
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahry, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bahry 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 Bahry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bahry
Bahry 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+22 bearers (+19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 9,819 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-25 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,647 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +22 bearers (+19.3%) | Up 9,819 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 22,647 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 Bahry 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 | #126,018 | #148,665 | -18.0% |
| Count | 136 | 111 | -18.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bahry bearers went from 136 to 111 (-18.4% change). The surname moved down 22,647 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #148,665.
FAQ
Bahry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bahry?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Bahry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Bahry?
Bahry ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Bahry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bahry.
Has Bahry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bahry went from 136 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Bahry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bahry, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bahry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bahry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bahry (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 Bahry mean?
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader. 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 Bahry (0.04 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 Bahry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.