2000
#4,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,724
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.49
Rare Last name
Bare
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived on a barren or uncultivated piece of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,879 Americans carry the last name Bare. That puts it at #4,957 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bare 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 Bare with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,502
Census rank
#4,957
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,871 bearers of the surname Bare in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4957th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bare, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bare
The surname BARE is of English origin, with its roots dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who went "bare" or barefoot. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been individuals of humble means, perhaps peasants or laborers who could not afford shoes.
In the early 13th century, the name appears in various historical documents, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of 1208, which mention a William Bare. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also record a Robert le Bare, indicating the use of the Norman-French prefix "le" to denote a surname.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Bare, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. His bravery and valor were recognized, and he was granted lands in Lincolnshire.
The Bare surname can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Bare in Lancashire and Bare in Dorset. These locations may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name over time.
In the 16th century, the spelling "Bare" became more standardized, as evidenced by records from the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, which mention a Thomas Bare in 1592.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Bare surname. These include:
1. Christopher Bare (1588-1670), an English clergyman and author known for his treatise on the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England.
2. William Bare (1605-1679), a prominent merchant and politician who served as Sheriff of London in 1662.
3. Mary Bare (1633-1701), an English Quaker preacher and author who advocated for religious tolerance and women's rights.
4. Richard Bare (1720-1788), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
5. John Bare (1781-1858), an English landscape painter renowned for his depictions of rural scenery and coastal views.
While the Bare surname may have humble beginnings, its bearers have left their mark across various fields throughout history, from warfare and politics to religion and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bare
Among Census respondents with the surname Bare, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bare 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 Bare surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 5,954
- Black or African American4.8% · 331
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 258
- Two or more races3.5% · 239
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bare
Bare 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
#4,836
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,291
+567 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 35 places
2020
#4,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,871
-420 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,801 | 6,724 | 2.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,836 | 7,291 | 2.47 | +567 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 35 places |
| 2020 | #4,957 | 6,871 | 2.30 | -420 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 121 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 Bare 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 | #4,836 | #4,957 | -2.5% |
| Count | 7,291 | 6,871 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.47 | 2.30 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bare bearers went from 7,291 to 6,871 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,836 to #4,957.
FAQ
Bare surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bare?
Name Census estimates that about 7,879 living Americans carry the surname Bare. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,502 residents.
How common is Bare?
Bare ranks #4,957 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.30 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 6,871 people with the surname Bare. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,879), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.30 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 Bare.
Has Bare become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bare went from 7,291 recorded bearers to 6,871. That is a decrease of 420 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,836 to #4,957.
What does the Census say about the background of Bare?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bare, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Bare in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (5,954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bare appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Black (4.8%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Bare (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 Bare mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived on a barren or uncultivated piece of land. 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 Bare (2.30 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 Americans have the surname Bare?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.