2000
#11,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Barcus
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "birch tree house."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,624 Americans carry the last name Barcus. That puts it at #12,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,623 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barcus 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
2.6K
1 in 130,623
Census rank
#12,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,288 bearers of the surname Barcus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barcus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barcus
The surname BARCUS is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the 16th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old English word "bere," meaning "barley," and the word "croft," which refers to a small enclosed field or garden. This suggests that the name BARCUS may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on a barley field or farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BARCUS can be found in the Parish Registers of Leicestershire, England, where a John Barcus was mentioned in the year 1592. The name also appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Suffolk in 1674, which lists a Robert Barcus as a householder.
There are several variations in the spelling of the surname, including Barcuss, Barcuss, and Barkus. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period.
Notable individuals with the surname BARCUS include:
1. Sir William Barcus (1650-1718), an English merchant and landowner who served as the Mayor of London in 1705.
2. Mary Barcus (1782-1859), a Scottish writer and educator who published several books on child education and moral philosophy.
3. John Barcus (1814-1890), an American Civil War veteran who fought for the Union Army and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor at the Battle of Gettysburg.
4. Robert Barcus (1856-1928), a British architect known for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Savoy Hotel and the Royal Opera House.
5. Elizabeth Barcus (1892-1976), an American artist and painter renowned for her landscape and portrait works, which were widely exhibited in the early 20th century.
While the surname BARCUS may not be as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, writers, soldiers, architects, and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barcus
Among Census respondents with the surname Barcus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Barcus 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 Barcus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 1,898
- Black or African American7.4% · 169
- Two or more races3.7% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barcus
Barcus 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
#12,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,426
-99 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,278 places
2020
#12,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,288
-138 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,446 | 2,525 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,724 | 2,426 | 0.82 | -99 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1,278 places |
| 2020 | #12,854 | 2,288 | 0.77 | -138 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 130 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 Barcus 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 | #12,724 | #12,854 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,426 | 2,288 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barcus bearers went from 2,426 to 2,288 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,724 to #12,854.
FAQ
Barcus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barcus?
Name Census estimates that about 2,624 living Americans carry the surname Barcus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,623 residents.
How common is Barcus?
Barcus ranks #12,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,288 people with the surname Barcus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,624), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Barcus.
Has Barcus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barcus went from 2,426 recorded bearers to 2,288. That is a decrease of 138 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,724 to #12,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Barcus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barcus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Barcus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (1,898 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barcus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Barcus (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 Barcus mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "birch tree house." 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 Barcus (0.77 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 Barcus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.