2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Bardowell
A topographic name derived from a place name meaning "stream of the herd," possibly referring to a cattle crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Bardowell. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bardowell 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Bardowell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardowell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.3%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Hispanic (19.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bardowell
The surname Bardowell has its origins in England, traced back to the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. It is believed to be derived from a place name, possibly a combination of the Old English words "bær" (bare or barren) and "dun" (hill), suggesting a connection to a particular location with a bare or treeless hill.
One of the earliest known records of the name Bardowell can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. While the exact spelling may have varied, entries such as "Baredewelle" or "Barduuelle" indicate the presence of this surname or a similar variant during that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named William Bardowell was recorded as a landowner in the county of Lincolnshire, England. This provides evidence of the surname's continued use and distribution across various regions of the country.
During the 14th century, the name Bardowell appeared in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, where a certain John Bardowell was mentioned as a taxpayer in the year 1379.
Another significant figure bearing this surname was Sir Thomas Bardowell, a prominent English military commander who served under King Henry V during the Hundred Years' War in the early 15th century. He is recorded as having participated in the famous Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
In the 16th century, a clergyman named Robert Bardowell (born circa 1535) held the position of rector at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in the village of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, Yorkshire. His tenure as the local parish priest is documented in historical church records from that period.
As the centuries progressed, the Bardowell surname continued to be found in various regions of England, with some variations in spelling, such as Bardwell, Bardwill, or Bardwelle. These changes likely resulted from different local dialects and variations in pronunciation over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bardowell
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardowell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.3%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Hispanic (19.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bardowell 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 Bardowell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.3% · 53
- White24.8% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino19.7% · 23
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bardowell
Bardowell appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+14 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,964 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 12,964 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 Bardowell 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 | #157,234 | #144,270 | 8.2% |
| Count | 103 | 117 | 13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bardowell bearers went from 103 to 117 (+13.6% change). The surname moved up 12,964 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #144,270.
FAQ
Bardowell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bardowell?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Bardowell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Bardowell?
Bardowell ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Bardowell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Bardowell.
Has Bardowell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bardowell went from 103 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 14 (+13.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Bardowell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardowell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.3%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Hispanic (19.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bardowell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.3% (53 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bardowell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.3%), White (24.8%), Hispanic (19.7%). 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 Bardowell (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 Bardowell mean?
A topographic name derived from a place name meaning "stream of the herd," possibly referring to a cattle crossing. 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 Bardowell (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 many people have the surname Bardowell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.