2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Barce
A derivative of the place name Barcelona, likely indicating an ancestral connection to that region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Barce. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barce 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Barce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barce, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.4%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barce
The surname BARCE has its origins in the Spanish region of Catalonia, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Catalan words "bar" meaning "barrier" or "obstacle" and "ce" signifying a place or location, suggesting that the name may have referred to a person who lived near a barrier or fortification.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BARCE can be found in the "Llibre del Repartiment de València" (Book of the Distribution of Valencia), a medieval document that details the distribution of lands and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Reconquista in the 13th century. The document mentions a certain Pere BARCE, who was granted lands in the region.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name BARCE was Joan BARCE, a merchant and landowner from the city of Barcelona. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative trade of cloth and spices with other Mediterranean regions.
The BARCE name also appeared in several historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, often associated with prominent families in the Catalonian towns of Reus and Tarragona. One such example is Jaume BARCE, a nobleman and military leader who fought alongside King Ferdinand II of Aragon during the Conquest of Granada in 1492.
During the 17th century, a branch of the BARCE family settled in the Balearic Islands, particularly in the city of Palma de Mallorca. Here, the name gained prominence through figures like Francesc BARCE, a renowned physician and scholar who wrote extensively on the medical practices of the time.
Another notable bearer of the BARCE surname was Miquel BARCE, an 18th-century artist and sculptor from the town of Vilanova i la Geltrú, near Barcelona. His works can be found in various churches and public buildings throughout Catalonia.
As the BARCE name spread beyond the borders of Spain, it was often adapted to local spellings and pronunciations. For instance, in parts of France and Italy, the name was sometimes written as "Barcé" or "Barcey".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barce
Among Census respondents with the surname Barce, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.4%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Barce 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 Barce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.0% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.4% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 8
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barce
Barce 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,451 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,479 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 20,451 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 2,479 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 Barce 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 | #157,234 | #154,755 | 1.6% |
| Count | 103 | 102 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barce bearers went from 103 to 102 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 2,479 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #154,755.
FAQ
Barce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barce?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Barce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Barce?
Barce ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Barce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Barce.
Has Barce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barce went from 103 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Barce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barce, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.4%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Barce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.0% (52 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (32.4%), Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Barce (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 Barce mean?
A derivative of the place name Barcelona, likely indicating an ancestral connection to that region. 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 Barce (0.03 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 Barce?
Want to know how many people have the surname Barce? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.