2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bareiss
A surname of German origin referring to a bear catcher or hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Bareiss. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bareiss 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Bareiss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bareiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bareiss
The surname Bareiss has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the German word "bar," which means "bare" or "barefoot," and the suffix "-eiss," which is a common ending for German surnames.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bareiss surname can be found in the records of the town of Lauffen am Neckar in Baden-Württemberg, where a certain Hans Bareiss was mentioned in a document dated 1382. The name also appears in several medieval church records and tax rolls from various German towns and villages during the 15th and 16th centuries.
During the 16th century, the Bareiss family gained prominence in the city of Ulm, which was a major trading center in southern Germany. Johann Bareiss (1515-1586) was a prominent merchant and member of the city council, while his son, Georg Bareiss (1548-1621), served as the mayor of Ulm from 1595 to 1597.
In the 17th century, the Bareiss family spread beyond Germany's borders, with some members migrating to neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. One notable figure from this period was Johannes Bareiss (1623-1691), a Swiss theologian and professor at the University of Basel.
The 18th century saw the rise of another notable Bareiss, Johann Bareiss (1720-1785), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, which included religious scenes and portraits, were highly regarded during his lifetime and can still be found in various museums and private collections.
In the 19th century, the Bareiss surname gained recognition in the field of literature with the German writer and poet Friedrich Bareiss (1818-1888). Born in Stuttgart, he published several collections of poetry and prose, including "Gedichte" (Poems) and "Erzählungen aus dem Schwarzwald" (Tales from the Black Forest).
Other notable individuals with the Bareiss surname include Karl Bareiss (1888-1965), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Berlin after World War II, and Hans Bareiss (1914-1997), a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union party who served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1957 to 1976.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bareiss
Among Census respondents with the surname Bareiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bareiss 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 Bareiss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bareiss
Bareiss 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-10 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,456 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,952 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 18,456 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,952 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 Bareiss 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 | #147,253 | #150,205 | -2.0% |
| Count | 112 | 109 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bareiss bearers went from 112 to 109 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,952 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,205.
FAQ
Bareiss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bareiss?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Bareiss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Bareiss?
Bareiss ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Bareiss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Bareiss.
Has Bareiss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bareiss went from 112 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Bareiss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bareiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Bareiss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bareiss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.3%), Hispanic (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Bareiss (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 Bareiss mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a bear catcher or hunter. 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 Bareiss (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 Bareiss?
See how many people have the last name Bareiss on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.