2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Barbknecht
A German surname meaning farm laborer or agricultural worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Barbknecht. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barbknecht 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Barbknecht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barbknecht
The surname "BARBKNECHT" is of German origin, derived from the Old High German words "barba" meaning "beard" and "kneht" meaning "servant" or "vassal." It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, as a descriptive surname referring to a bearded servant or vassal.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to various regions of modern-day Germany, particularly in the southern and central areas. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Barbknecht, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in several historical records and documents, including the Wurttemberg tax rolls of 1545, which listed a Jorg Barbknecht as a resident of the town of Esslingen. Additionally, a Johann Barbknecht was mentioned in the municipal records of Nuremberg in 1572, indicating the presence of the name in the city during that time.
During the 17th century, the surname Barbknecht gained some prominence with the birth of Johannes Barbknecht (1628-1689), a renowned Lutheran theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Jena. His works on theology and biblical exegesis were widely read and influential in academic circles of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Wilhelm Barbknecht (1792-1867), a German painter and engraver who specialized in landscapes and nature scenes. His works were exhibited in various art galleries across Germany and Austria during the 19th century.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Barbknecht surname can be found in historical records from various parts of Germany, as well as in areas where German immigrants settled, such as the United States and Canada. One example is Otto Barbknecht (1867-1942), a German-born businessman and entrepreneur who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and established a successful import-export company in New York City.
While the spelling "BARBKNECHT" is relatively uncommon today, variations of the name, such as "Barbknecht" and "Barknecht," continue to exist, primarily in German-speaking regions and among descendants of German immigrants in other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barbknecht
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Barbknecht 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 Barbknecht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 105
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barbknecht
Barbknecht 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,467 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-15 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,035 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 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 2,467 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 14,035 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 Barbknecht 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 | #138,304 | #152,339 | -10.1% |
| Count | 121 | 106 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barbknecht bearers went from 121 to 106 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 14,035 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #152,339.
FAQ
Barbknecht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barbknecht?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Barbknecht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Barbknecht?
Barbknecht ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Barbknecht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Barbknecht.
Has Barbknecht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barbknecht went from 121 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Barbknecht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Barbknecht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barbknecht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Barbknecht (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 Barbknecht mean?
A German surname meaning farm laborer or agricultural worker. 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 Barbknecht (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 people have the surname Barbknecht?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.