2000
#14,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,810
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Barco
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a boatman or a person who builds or operates boats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,425 Americans carry the last name Barco. That puts it at #13,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barco 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
2.4K
1 in 141,342
Census rank
#13,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,115 bearers of the surname Barco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Black (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barco
The surname Barco is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "barco," meaning "boat" or "ship." The name likely originated in Spain during the medieval period, possibly referring to someone who worked on boats or lived near a harbor or port.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Barco can be found in the Catalonian region of Spain, where it appears in various historical documents from the 13th century onwards. The name was particularly prevalent in the coastal areas of Barcelona and Valencia.
In the 15th century, the name Barco was documented in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, suggesting that some individuals bearing this surname may have been targeted during this period of religious persecution.
As Spanish explorers and colonists ventured to the Americas and other parts of the world, the surname Barco was carried with them. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Álvaro de Barco (c. 1545-1617), a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and the Philippines.
2. Juan de Barco (c. 1560-1635), a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Yucatán in the early 17th century.
3. Sebastián Barco (c. 1585-1658), a Spanish Jesuit missionary who established missions in present-day Colombia and worked with indigenous communities.
4. María de Barco y Vidaure (1615-1682), a wealthy Spanish landowner and philanthropist who donated significant funds to various religious organizations.
5. Pedro Barco de Centenera (c. 1570-1635), a Spanish soldier and poet who wrote about the colonization of Argentina in his epic poem "La Argentina."
The surname Barco has also been associated with various place names, such as Barco de Ávila, a municipality in the province of Ávila, Spain, and Barco de Valdeorras, a municipality in the province of Orense, Galicia, Spain.
While the surname Barco may have evolved into different spellings or variations over time, it remains rooted in its Spanish maritime origins, reflecting the histories and journeys of those who bore this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barco
Among Census respondents with the surname Barco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Black (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Barco 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 Barco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino66.7% · 1,410
- White22.6% · 479
- Black or African American7.6% · 160
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 39
- Two or more races1.2% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barco
Barco 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
#12,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,385
+575 bearers (+31.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 2,089 places
2020
#13,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,115
-270 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,983 | 1,810 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,894 | 2,385 | 0.81 | +575 bearers (+31.8%) | Up 2,089 places |
| 2020 | #13,717 | 2,115 | 0.71 | -270 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 823 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 Barco 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 | #12,894 | #13,717 | -6.4% |
| Count | 2,385 | 2,115 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.71 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barco bearers went from 2,385 to 2,115 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 823 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,894 to #13,717.
FAQ
Barco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barco?
Name Census estimates that about 2,425 living Americans carry the surname Barco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,342 residents.
How common is Barco?
Barco ranks #13,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,115 people with the surname Barco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Barco.
Has Barco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barco went from 2,385 recorded bearers to 2,115. That is a decrease of 270 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,894 to #13,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Barco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Black (7.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (1,410 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (66.7%), White (22.6%), Black (7.6%). 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 Barco (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 Barco mean?
A Spanish and Italian occupational surname referring to a boatman or a person who builds or operates boats. 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 Barco (0.71 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 Barco?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Barco, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.