2000
#5,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.04
Rare Last name
Barden
An English occupational surname referring to a messenger or courier, derived from the Middle English "barde".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,223 Americans carry the last name Barden. That puts it at #6,081 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,079 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barden 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 Barden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,079
Census rank
#6,081
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,427 bearers of the surname Barden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6081st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barden
The surname Barden is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English word "burh" meaning a fortified town or manor, and the suffix "denu" meaning a valley or den. This suggests that the name originated from a place named "Barden" or a similar spelling, likely referring to a valley or settlement near a fortified town or manor.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are several entries mentioning places with similar names, such as "Burdene" and "Bordene." These entries provide evidence of the name's early existence and potential connection to specific locations in medieval England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Barden was John Barden, who lived in the 14th century and is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, England. Another early record is of William Barden, who was born around 1420 in Hertfordshire, England.
In the 16th century, the Barden family held land and property in the village of Burneston, near Bedale in North Yorkshire. Sir Robert Barden (1532-1599), a member of this family, was a prominent figure who served as Lord Mayor of York in 1589.
During the 17th century, the surname Barden spread to other parts of England, including Lancashire and Cheshire. Notable individuals from this period include John Barden (1636-1719), an English mathematician and clergyman, and Thomas Barden (1669-1748), a landowner and Member of Parliament for Taunton in Somerset.
In the 18th century, the Barden family maintained a strong presence in Yorkshire, with members such as William Barden (1718-1798), a landowner and Justice of the Peace in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and his son, John Barden (1754-1825), who served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1800.
The 19th century saw the surname Barden spread further across England and into other parts of the world. One notable figure was Charles Barden (1814-1887), an English-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.
Throughout its history, the surname Barden has been associated with various place names and locations, including Barden in Yorkshire, Burneston in North Yorkshire, and Barden Park, a former estate in the Yorkshire Dales. The name has also been spelled in various ways over time, such as Bardon, Bardan, and Bardene.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barden
Among Census respondents with the surname Barden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Barden 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 Barden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 4,393
- Black or African American10.2% · 553
- Two or more races4.6% · 248
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barden
Barden 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
#5,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,755
+253 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 216 places
2020
#6,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,427
-328 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,762 | 5,502 | 2.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,978 | 5,755 | 1.95 | +253 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 216 places |
| 2020 | #6,081 | 5,427 | 1.82 | -328 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 103 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 Barden 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 | #5,978 | #6,081 | -1.7% |
| Count | 5,755 | 5,427 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.95 | 1.82 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barden bearers went from 5,755 to 5,427 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,978 to #6,081.
FAQ
Barden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barden?
Name Census estimates that about 6,223 living Americans carry the surname Barden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,079 residents.
How common is Barden?
Barden ranks #6,081 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,427 people with the surname Barden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,223), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Barden.
Has Barden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barden went from 5,755 recorded bearers to 5,427. That is a decrease of 328 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,978 to #6,081.
What does the Census say about the background of Barden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (4,393 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Black (10.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Barden (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 Barden mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a messenger or courier, derived from the Middle English "barde". 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 Barden (1.82 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 share the surname Barden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.