2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Barbra
A feminine variant of the Greek surname Barbaros, meaning foreign or strange.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Barbra. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barbra 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Barbra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbra, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Hispanic (11.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barbra
The surname "BARBRA" is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Lombardy. It is thought to have derived from the Latin word "barbarus," which means "foreign" or "strange." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who was perceived as an outsider or a foreigner in a particular area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "BARBRA" can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various legal documents and manuscripts from the city of Milan. It is possible that the name was associated with a specific family or group of people who had settled in the region during that time.
In the 14th century, there are records of a nobleman named Giovanni Barbra, who was a prominent figure in the city of Brescia. He is mentioned in several historical accounts as a wealthy landowner and a patron of the arts.
During the Renaissance period, the name "BARBRA" gained some prominence in the artistic circles of Italy. Pietro Barbra, a renowned painter from the city of Verona, lived from 1472 to 1542 and is known for his religious works and frescoes adorning several churches in the region.
In the 17th century, the name "BARBRA" made its way to other parts of Europe, possibly through trade and migration. One notable figure was Hans Barbra, a German merchant and explorer who was born in 1612 in the city of Hamburg. He is credited with establishing trade routes between Europe and the East Indies.
As the centuries progressed, the name "BARBRA" continued to appear in various historical records and documents across different regions. For instance, in the 19th century, there was a French politician named Pierre Barbra, who served as a member of the National Assembly and was born in 1789 in the city of Lyon.
It is worth noting that the name "BARBRA" has also been associated with several place names throughout history. For example, the town of Barbra in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna is believed to have derived its name from the surname, possibly indicating the presence of a prominent family or group with that name in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barbra
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbra, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Hispanic (11.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Barbra 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 Barbra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 70
- Black or African American18.7% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 12
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barbra
Barbra 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
#116,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
+18 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 4,857 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-43 bearers (-28.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 35,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,201 | 150 | 0.05 | +18 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 4,857 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -43 bearers (-28.7%) | Down 35,438 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 Barbra 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 | #116,201 | #151,639 | -30.5% |
| Count | 150 | 107 | -28.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -28.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barbra bearers went from 150 to 107 (-28.7% change). The surname moved down 35,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,201 to #151,639.
FAQ
Barbra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barbra?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Barbra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Barbra?
Barbra ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Barbra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Barbra.
Has Barbra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barbra went from 150 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 43 (-28.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,201 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Barbra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barbra, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Hispanic (11.2%). 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 Barbra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barbra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.4%), Black (18.7%), Hispanic (11.2%). 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 Barbra (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 Barbra mean?
A feminine variant of the Greek surname Barbaros, meaning foreign or strange. 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 Barbra (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 Barbra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.