2000
#27,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Barash
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "ram" or "battering ram".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 987 Americans carry the last name Barash. That puts it at #29,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 347,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barash 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
987
1 in 347,269
Census rank
#29,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
861
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 861 bearers of the surname Barash in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 29273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barash, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barash
The surname Barash has its origins in Eastern Europe, with roots primarily in Ukraine and Russia. It likely emerged in the late 16th or early 17th century, derived from the Slavic word "barashek," which means "little ram" or "lamb." This suggests an association with shepherding or the wool trade in the regions where the name first appeared.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Revizskiye Skazki, a series of census-like revisions conducted by the Russian Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. These records show individuals with the surname Barash living in various parts of modern-day Ukraine and Russia during that time period.
In the late 19th century, the name Barash began appearing in various historical documents and records in the Pale of Settlement, a region of the Russian Empire that encompassed parts of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. This suggests that the name may have been particularly prevalent among Jewish communities in these areas.
One notable individual with the surname Barash was Isaac Barash, a Russian-born Jewish author and playwright who lived from 1888 to 1952. He was known for his works exploring Jewish culture and identity in the early 20th century.
Another significant figure was Maxim Barash, a Ukrainian-born artist and sculptor who lived from 1907 to 1986. He is particularly known for his monumental public sculptures and works that explored themes of labor and industry.
In the early 20th century, the name Barash also appeared in various records and documents in the United States, likely due to immigration from Eastern Europe during that period. One example is Samuel Barash, an American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1896 to 1979 and was involved in the textile industry.
Ilya Barash, a Russian-born mathematician and computer scientist who lived from 1925 to 2003, made significant contributions to the field of computational complexity theory and was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Lastly, Evgeny Barash, a Russian-born painter and artist who lived from 1949 to 2020, was known for his vibrant and expressive works that often explored themes of nature and the human condition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barash
Among Census respondents with the surname Barash, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Barash 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 Barash surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 790
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 37
- Two or more races1.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barash
Barash 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
#28,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 855
+34 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 405 places
2020
#29,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 861
+6 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 1,250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,618 | 821 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,023 | 855 | 0.29 | +34 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 405 places |
| 2020 | #29,273 | 861 | 0.29 | +6 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 1,250 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 Barash 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 | #28,023 | #29,273 | -4.5% |
| Count | 855 | 861 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.29 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barash bearers went from 855 to 861 (+0.7% change). The surname moved down 1,250 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,023 to #29,273.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barash
FAQ
Barash surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barash?
Name Census estimates that about 987 living Americans carry the surname Barash. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 347,269 residents.
How common is Barash?
Barash ranks #29,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 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 861 people with the surname Barash. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (987), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Barash.
Has Barash become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barash went from 855 recorded bearers to 861. That is an increase of 6 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,023 to #29,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Barash?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barash, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Barash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (790 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barash appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Barash (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 Barash mean?
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "ram" or "battering ram". 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 Barash (0.29 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 Barash?
See how common the surname Barash is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.