2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bardroff
A Russian surname possibly derived from an occupational name related to bards or minstrels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Bardroff. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bardroff 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Bardroff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardroff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bardroff
The surname BARDROFF is believed to have originated in the British Isles, primarily in England and Scotland, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from an Old English or Anglo-Saxon occupational name, likely referring to a professional bardsmith or maker of armor for horses.
The earliest recorded instances of the name BARDROFF can be traced back to the 13th century. In 1275, a William Bardroff is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the County of Norfolk. A few decades later, in 1302, a John Bardroff is listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, such as Bardroffe, Bardruff, and Bardrugh. These variations often reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during earlier periods.
One notable individual bearing the BARDROFF surname was Sir Robert Bardroff, a prominent landowner and knight from Northumberland, who lived in the late 14th century. He was knighted by King Edward III in 1347 for his service in the Hundred Years' War against France.
Another historical figure was Thomas Bardroff, a English scholar and theologian born in 1520. He studied at Oxford University and later became a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I. Bardroff was known for his writings on religious reforms during the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the BARDROFF name appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of various counties in England, indicating the widespread presence of the family. One such entry from 1665 mentions a Edward Bardroff in the county of Somerset.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable bearer of the BARDROFF name was Captain William Bardroff, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He commanded the HMS Intrepid and played a role in several key battles against the American colonies.
Another significant figure was Mary Bardroff, a prolific writer and poet born in 1785 in Yorkshire. She published several volumes of poetry and was celebrated for her vivid depictions of rural English life during the Romantic era.
While the surname BARDROFF has its roots in England and Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and the expansion of the British Empire. However, the name remains relatively uncommon compared to some more prevalent surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bardroff
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardroff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bardroff 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 Bardroff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bardroff
Bardroff 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-11 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 10,499 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 Bardroff 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 | #141,140 | #151,639 | -7.4% |
| Count | 118 | 107 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bardroff bearers went from 118 to 107 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 10,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #151,639.
FAQ
Bardroff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bardroff?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Bardroff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Bardroff?
Bardroff ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Bardroff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Bardroff.
Has Bardroff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bardroff went from 118 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bardroff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bardroff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Bardroff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bardroff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (4.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Bardroff (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 Bardroff mean?
A Russian surname possibly derived from an occupational name related to bards or minstrels. 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 Bardroff (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 share the surname Bardroff?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.