2000
#10,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,790
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Barbara
Derived from the Greek word meaning "strange" or "foreign," originally used to refer to a non-Greek person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,478 Americans carry the last name Barbara. That puts it at #13,468 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barbara 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 Barbara with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,319
Census rank
#13,468
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,161 bearers of the surname Barbara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13468th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbara, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barbara
The surname Barbara is of Italian origin, derived from the personal name Barbara, which is derived from the Greek word "barbaros" meaning "foreign" or "strange". The name Barbara was originally used to refer to non-Greeks or foreigners. It gained popularity as a personal name during the Middle Ages, particularly after the veneration of St. Barbara, a 3rd-century martyr.
The earliest recorded use of Barbara as a surname dates back to the 13th century in Italy. It is believed to have initially been a descriptive surname, referring to someone who was considered foreign or strange. Over time, it became an inherited surname passed down through families.
In Italy, the surname Barbara is most commonly found in the regions of Campania, Lazio, and Sicily. It is also present in other parts of southern Italy, as well as in some areas of central and northern Italy. The name may have been adopted by families with ancestors who migrated from one region to another within Italy.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Barbara was Giovanni Barbara, a Sicilian nobleman who lived in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Antonio Barbara, a 16th-century Venetian diplomat and writer.
In the 17th century, the surname Barbara was found in various records and documents, including the Catasto Onciario, a census and land registry conducted in the Kingdom of Sicily in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
During the 18th century, several individuals with the surname Barbara gained prominence in various fields. One such person was Francesco Barbara, an Italian architect and painter active in the late 18th century. Another was Giuseppe Barbara, a composer and music teacher from Naples, who lived from 1768 to 1835.
In the 19th century, the surname Barbara was carried by individuals such as Luigi Barbara, an Italian politician and lawyer from Sicily, who lived from 1821 to 1896. Another notable figure was Vincenzo Barbara, a Sicilian painter and sculptor active in the late 19th century.
The surname Barbara has also been found in other parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to migration and intermarriage with Italian families over the centuries. However, its origins and earliest recorded uses trace back to Italy, particularly the southern regions, where it has been present for several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barbara
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbara, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Barbara 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 Barbara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 1,662
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 228
- Black or African American8.4% · 182
- Two or more races2.0% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barbara
Barbara 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
#10,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,986
+196 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 156 places
2020
#13,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,161
-825 bearers (-27.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 2,764 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,548 | 2,790 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,704 | 2,986 | 1.01 | +196 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 156 places |
| 2020 | #13,468 | 2,161 | 0.72 | -825 bearers (-27.6%) | Down 2,764 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 Barbara 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 | #10,704 | #13,468 | -25.8% |
| Count | 2,986 | 2,161 | -27.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.72 | -28.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barbara bearers went from 2,986 to 2,161 (-27.6% change). The surname moved down 2,764 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,704 to #13,468.
FAQ
Barbara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barbara?
Name Census estimates that about 2,478 living Americans carry the surname Barbara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,319 residents.
How common is Barbara?
Barbara ranks #13,468 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,161 people with the surname Barbara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Barbara.
Has Barbara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barbara went from 2,986 recorded bearers to 2,161. That is a decrease of 825 (-27.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,704 to #13,468.
What does the Census say about the background of Barbara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbara, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (8.4%). 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 Barbara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (1,662 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barbara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Hispanic (10.6%), Black (8.4%). 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 Barbara (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 Barbara mean?
Derived from the Greek word meaning "strange" or "foreign," originally used to refer to a non-Greek person. 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 Barbara (0.72 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 common is the surname Barbara?
You can see how many people have the surname Barbara on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.