2000
#2,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.14
Uncommon Last name
Barclay
From the birch tree meadow or a person who lived near such a place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,850 Americans carry the last name Barclay. That puts it at #3,136 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,673 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barclay 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 Barclay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,673
Census rank
#3,136
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,206 bearers of the surname Barclay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3136th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barclay, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barclay
The surname Barclay has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "barra" meaning summit or height, and "claidh" meaning trench or ditch, suggesting a geographical descriptor for a person living near a hill with a ditch or trench.
The name Barclay first appeared in the records of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where they held territories and lands. One of the earliest records of the name is found in the Chartulary of Arbroath Abbey in 1219, where a Walter de Berkeley is mentioned.
The Barclays were a prominent Scottish family, with members holding significant positions and lands. In 1305, Sir Walter de Berclay was appointed the Great Chamberlain of Scotland by King Robert the Bruce. Another notable figure was David Barclay (1610-1686), a Scottish Divine and one of the founders of the Quaker movement.
The name Barclay can also be traced back to Normandy, France, where it was derived from the place name Berkley or Barclay. The Domesday Book of 1086 records several individuals with the surname, including Robert de Barcalevilla and Walter de Berkelai.
Moving forward in history, Robert Barclay (1648-1690) was a Scottish Quaker and theologian, best known for his work "An Apology for the True Christian Divinity." Another prominent figure was John Barclay (1582-1621), a Scottish satirist and neo-Latin poet, known for his work "Argenis."
Other notable individuals with the surname Barclay include:
1. Alexander Barclay (c. 1475-1552), a Scottish poet and priest, best known for his translation of Sebastian Brant's "The Ship of Fools."
2. Robert Barclay Allardice (1779-1854), a Scottish athlete and pedestrian, known as the "Great Walker."
3. Erskine Barclay (1825-1887), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist, who founded the Barclay Breweries in Alloa, Scotland.
4. Reverend Henry Barclay (1824-1909), a Scottish minister and author, who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
5. Derick Barclay (1904-1998), a Scottish businessman and co-founder of the Barclay Brothers business empire, which included the Telegraph Media Group and other significant holdings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barclay
Among Census respondents with the surname Barclay, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Barclay 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 Barclay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 8,539
- Black or African American14.8% · 1,653
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 452
- Two or more races3.7% · 417
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barclay
Barclay 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
#3,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,568
+408 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 3.92
Rank movement Down 150 places
2020
#3,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,206
-362 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.75
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,965 | 11,160 | 4.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,115 | 11,568 | 3.92 | +408 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 150 places |
| 2020 | #3,136 | 11,206 | 3.75 | -362 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 21 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 Barclay 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 | #3,115 | #3,136 | -0.7% |
| Count | 11,568 | 11,206 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.92 | 3.75 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barclay bearers went from 11,568 to 11,206 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,115 to #3,136.
FAQ
Barclay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barclay?
Name Census estimates that about 12,850 living Americans carry the surname Barclay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,673 residents.
How common is Barclay?
Barclay ranks #3,136 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,206 people with the surname Barclay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,850), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Barclay.
Has Barclay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barclay went from 11,568 recorded bearers to 11,206. That is a decrease of 362 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,115 to #3,136.
What does the Census say about the background of Barclay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barclay, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Barclay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (8,539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barclay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (14.8%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Barclay (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 Barclay mean?
From the birch tree meadow or a person who lived near such a place. 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 Barclay (3.75 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 Barclay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.