Find out how popular the last name Bardwell is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bardwell.

Bardwell, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bardwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bardwell in America

Bardwell is the 10812th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bardwell surname appeared 2,946 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bardwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bardwell to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bardwell

The surname Bardwell originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Bardwell, which is a parish in the county of Suffolk. The name likely comes from the Old English words "beorg" meaning hill or barrow, and "well" meaning a spring or stream, thus suggesting the name refers to a hill near a spring or stream.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Bardwell can be found in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1197, where a Robert de Bardwelle is mentioned. The Domesday Book, a great survey of England completed in 1086, does not include the name Bardwell, suggesting the name arose after the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Bardewelle, Bardwelle, and Baredwelle, reflecting the lack of standardized spelling at the time. The earliest known bearer of the name was William de Bardwell, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk in 1230.

One of the notable individuals bearing the Bardwell surname was Sir Thomas Bardwell, who was born in 1349 and served as a knight and landowner in Suffolk. He was involved in several military campaigns during the Hundred Years' War and was knighted for his service in 1372.

Another prominent figure was John Bardwell, born in 1567 in Dedham, Essex. He was a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Andover, Massachusetts, where he served as the first minister of the church from 1645 until his death in 1654.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Bardwell family settled in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded members was Robert Bardwell, born in 1607 in Suffolk, England, who immigrated to Massachusetts in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and freeman in the town of Andover.

William Bardwell, born in 1692 in Andover, Massachusetts, was a notable figure in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a captain in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

Another individual of note was James Woodbridge Bardwell, born in 1856 in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. He was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as a judge in the Massachusetts Superior Court.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bardwell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bardwell.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bardwell was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bardwell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bardwell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bardwell, please contact us.

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