2000
#15,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,684
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Barakat
Derived from the Arabic word "baraka", meaning blessing, prosperity, or abundance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,540 Americans carry the last name Barakat. That puts it at #9,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barakat 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 Barakat with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,823
Census rank
#9,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,087 bearers of the surname Barakat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barakat, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barakat
The surname Barakat is of Arabic origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle East and North Africa region. It is derived from the Arabic word "baraka," which means "blessing" or "divine favor." The earliest known instances of this surname date back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic Golden Age.
The name Barakat was initially prevalent among Arab communities in regions like the Levant, Egypt, and the Maghreb. It gained popularity as a surname during the height of the Islamic Caliphates, indicating a connection to religious or scholarly lineages. Some historical documents mention individuals with the surname Barakat in various administrative and literary capacities.
One notable figure carrying the surname Barakat was Al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Barakat, a prominent mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 12th century CE in present-day Iraq. His works on algebra and trigonometry contributed significantly to the advancement of mathematical knowledge during the Islamic Renaissance.
In the 13th century, the name Barakat appeared in various manuscripts and historical records from the Mamluk Sultanate, which ruled over parts of modern-day Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. One such reference is found in the writings of the renowned historian and writer Al-Maqrizi, who mentioned a scholar named Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barakat.
During the Ottoman Empire's rule in the Middle East and North Africa, the surname Barakat continued to be prevalent among Arab populations. In the 16th century, a Turkish traveler and writer, Evliya Çelebi, documented encountering families bearing the name Barakat during his travels through the region.
Another notable figure with the surname Barakat was Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Barakat, a 14th-century Moroccan scholar and poet who made significant contributions to Arabic literature. His collection of poems and writings on Islamic mysticism are still studied and revered today.
Over the centuries, as Arab populations dispersed and migrated to different parts of the world, the surname Barakat spread and took root in various communities. Today, it can be found among Arab diasporas in Europe, North America, and other regions, carrying the rich cultural and historical legacy of its Arabic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barakat
Among Census respondents with the surname Barakat, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Barakat 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 Barakat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 2,684
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 143
- Two or more races3.9% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 77
- Black or African American2.0% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barakat
Barakat 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
#13,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,281
+597 bearers (+35.5%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 2,501 places
2020
#9,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,087
+806 bearers (+35.3%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 3,386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,861 | 1,684 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,360 | 2,281 | 0.77 | +597 bearers (+35.5%) | Up 2,501 places |
| 2020 | #9,974 | 3,087 | 1.03 | +806 bearers (+35.3%) | Up 3,386 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 Barakat 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 | #13,360 | #9,974 | 25.3% |
| Count | 2,281 | 3,087 | 35.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 1.03 | 34.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barakat bearers went from 2,281 to 3,087 (+35.3% change). The surname moved up 3,386 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,360 to #9,974.
FAQ
Barakat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barakat?
Name Census estimates that about 3,540 living Americans carry the surname Barakat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,823 residents.
How common is Barakat?
Barakat ranks #9,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,087 people with the surname Barakat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Barakat.
Has Barakat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barakat went from 2,281 recorded bearers to 3,087. That is an increase of 806 (+35.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,360 to #9,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Barakat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barakat, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Barakat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (2,684 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barakat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Barakat (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 Barakat mean?
Derived from the Arabic word "baraka", meaning blessing, prosperity, or abundance. 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 Barakat (1.03 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 Barakat?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.