2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bardley
An English surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a barn or barley field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Bardley. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bardley 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Bardley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bardley
The surname Bardley is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, likely a combination of the Old English words "bær" (bear) and "leah" (meadow or clearing), suggesting a connection to a location where bears once roamed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bardley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated around 1170, where a certain Robert de Bardley is mentioned. This historical record provides evidence of the name's existence during the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the Bardley surname appeared in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1220, where a William de Bardley was listed. This roll was a record of legal proceedings held before the King's Court, lending further credibility to the surname's longevity.
The Bardley name was also present in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a collection of legal documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1305, a John de Bardley was recorded as a party in a land transaction, indicating the family's involvement in property ownership during that era.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Bardley include:
1. Sir Richard Bardley (1515-1587), a prominent English statesman and lawyer who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Margaret Bardley (1640-1712), a renowned English writer and poet whose works were widely acclaimed during the 17th century.
3. John Bardley (1708-1782), a celebrated English architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings, including the famous St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
4. Elizabeth Bardley (1825-1897), a pioneering British educator who founded the Bardley School for Girls, one of the first institutions to offer higher education for women in the country.
5. William Bardley (1880-1952), a respected English explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to the Amazon rainforest, contributing significantly to the study of its flora and fauna.
While the surname Bardley may have evolved slightly in spelling over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was likely associated with a specific geographic location named after the presence of bears in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bardley
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bardley 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 Bardley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.2% · 79
- White18.0% · 20
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bardley
Bardley 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-17 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,469 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 21,469 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,361 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 Bardley 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 | #138,304 | #148,665 | -7.5% |
| Count | 121 | 111 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bardley bearers went from 121 to 111 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #148,665.
FAQ
Bardley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bardley?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Bardley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Bardley?
Bardley ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Bardley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bardley.
Has Bardley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bardley went from 121 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Bardley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.2%. The next largest groups are White (18.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bardley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (79 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bardley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.2%), White (18.0%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Bardley (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 Bardley mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a barn or barley field. 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 Bardley (0.04 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 Bardley?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bardley is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.