2000
#5,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Uncommon Last name
Barahona
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Barahona in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,449 Americans carry the last name Barahona. That puts it at #3,487 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,937 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barahona 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
11K
1 in 29,937
Census rank
#3,487
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,984 bearers of the surname Barahona in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3487th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barahona, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barahona
The surname Barahona is of Spanish origin, derived from the place name Barahona, a municipality located in the province of Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. The name is believed to have emerged during the 12th or 13th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Barahona can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a census-like document compiled in 1352 during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document listed individuals and their properties, including several individuals with the surname Barahona.
The name Barahona is thought to have its roots in the Basque or Iberian languages, with the first part "bara" potentially meaning "valley" or "plain," and the second part "hona" possibly signifying "good" or "fertile." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a fertile valley or a productive agricultural area.
One notable historical figure with the surname Barahona was Alonso Barahona de Soto, a Spanish poet and writer who lived in the 16th century (c. 1538-1597). He was known for his poetic works, including "Las lágrimas de Angélica" (The Tears of Angelica), a continuation of Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem "Orlando Furioso."
Another prominent individual with the Barahona surname was Juan Barahona de Padilla, a Spanish military leader and nobleman who played a significant role in the Revolt of the Comuneros (1520-1521), a popular uprising against the imperial authorities of Charles V.
In the 17th century, Fray Agustín Barahona was a Spanish Franciscan friar and historian who authored several works, including a chronicle of the Franciscan Province of Santiago de Xalisco in New Spain (present-day Mexico).
During the 18th century, Pedro Barahona y Vigas was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Panama from 1760 to 1770.
In more recent times, Joaquín Barahona Monje (1919-1998) was a Salvadoran politician and diplomat who served as the Vice President of El Salvador from 1962 to 1967.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barahona
Among Census respondents with the surname Barahona, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Barahona 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 Barahona surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.9% · 9,472
- White3.8% · 381
- Black or African American0.6% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 33
- Two or more races0.2% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barahona
Barahona 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
#4,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,844
+3,506 bearers (+65.7%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Up 1,917 places
2020
#3,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,984
+1,140 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 3.34
Rank movement Up 532 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,936 | 5,338 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,019 | 8,844 | 3.00 | +3,506 bearers (+65.7%) | Up 1,917 places |
| 2020 | #3,487 | 9,984 | 3.34 | +1,140 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 532 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 Barahona 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 | #4,019 | #3,487 | 13.2% |
| Count | 8,844 | 9,984 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.00 | 3.34 | 11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barahona bearers went from 8,844 to 9,984 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 532 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,019 to #3,487.
FAQ
Barahona surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barahona?
Name Census estimates that about 11,449 living Americans carry the surname Barahona. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,937 residents.
How common is Barahona?
Barahona ranks #3,487 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.34 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 9,984 people with the surname Barahona. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,449), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.34 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 Barahona.
Has Barahona become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barahona went from 8,844 recorded bearers to 9,984. That is an increase of 1,140 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,019 to #3,487.
What does the Census say about the background of Barahona?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barahona, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Black (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barahona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (9,472 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barahona appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.9%), White (3.8%), Black (0.6%). 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 Barahona (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 Barahona mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Barahona in Spain. 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 Barahona (3.34 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 Barahona?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.