2000
#2,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.26
Uncommon Last name
Barbour
An occupational surname referring to a barber or one who cuts hair and trims beards.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,694 Americans carry the last name Barbour. That puts it at #2,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,840 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barbour 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 Barbour with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,840
Census rank
#2,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,686 bearers of the surname Barbour in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbour, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barbour
The surname Barbour originated in France and derives from the Old French word "barbour", meaning "barber". It is an occupational surname, indicating that the original bearer of the name was a barber by profession.
Barbour is believed to have first appeared in records in the 12th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Barbator" in reference to a barber in the village of Winchelsea, Sussex.
In the 13th century, the surname was found in various forms such as Barbour, Barbor, and Barbator in records across England. It is likely that the name spread throughout the country as barbers traveled and settled in different regions.
One notable early bearer of the name was William Barbour, a 14th-century Scottish poet who wrote the epic narrative poem "The Brus" about the life of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He was born around 1320 in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Another significant figure was John Barbour, a 15th-century Scottish prelate and diplomat who served as the Bishop of Dunkeld and helped negotiate the release of King James I of Scotland from English captivity in 1424.
In the 16th century, the name Barbour was found in various place names across England, such as Barbour Town in Northumberland and Barbour Green in Suffolk, suggesting that members of the family had established themselves in these areas.
During the 17th century, the Barbour family was prominent in Virginia, USA. James Barbour, born in 1775, was a prominent lawyer, politician, and Governor of Virginia from 1812 to 1814.
In the 19th century, Joseph Barbour (1795-1856) was a Scottish lawyer and legal writer who published several works on Scottish law and contributed to the development of the legal system in Scotland.
Throughout history, the Barbour surname has been associated with various occupations, including barbers, lawyers, writers, and politicians, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barbour
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbour, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Barbour 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 Barbour surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.1% · 9,588
- Black or African American20.4% · 2,791
- Two or more races4.9% · 675
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 485
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barbour
Barbour 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
#2,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,451
+263 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 4.90
Rank movement Down 166 places
2020
#2,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,686
-765 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 4.58
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,338 | 14,188 | 5.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,504 | 14,451 | 4.90 | +263 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 166 places |
| 2020 | #2,580 | 13,686 | 4.58 | -765 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 76 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 Barbour 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 | #2,504 | #2,580 | -3.0% |
| Count | 14,451 | 13,686 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.90 | 4.58 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barbour bearers went from 14,451 to 13,686 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,504 to #2,580.
FAQ
Barbour surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barbour?
Name Census estimates that about 15,694 living Americans carry the surname Barbour. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,840 residents.
How common is Barbour?
Barbour ranks #2,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,686 people with the surname Barbour. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,694), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Barbour.
Has Barbour become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barbour went from 14,451 recorded bearers to 13,686. That is a decrease of 765 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,504 to #2,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Barbour?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbour, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Barbour in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.1% (9,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barbour appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.1%), Black (20.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Barbour (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 Barbour mean?
An occupational surname referring to a barber or one who cuts hair and trims beards. 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 Barbour (4.58 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 Barbour?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Barbour at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.