2000
#4,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.53
Rare Last name
Barela
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Varela, likely derived from "vara" meaning "rod" or "pole".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,209 Americans carry the last name Barela. That puts it at #4,791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,753 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barela 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
8.2K
1 in 41,753
Census rank
#4,791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,159 bearers of the surname Barela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.2%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barela
The surname Barela is believed to have originated in Spain, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "barela," which refers to a small barrel or cask. This name likely arose as an occupational surname, given to individuals involved in the trade or production of barrels, casks, or related wooden containers.
In its earliest forms, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Barela," "Barella," and "Barrela," reflecting regional linguistic variations. The name can be found in historical records dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries in regions like Aragon, Castile, and Andalusia.
One of the earliest known references to the Barela surname can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This text mentions individuals with the surname Barela among the participants in royal hunting expeditions.
During the 15th century, the name Barela gained prominence with the rise of notable individuals bearing this surname. Juan Barela (c. 1420-1498) was a renowned navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. His contributions were instrumental in charting new routes and establishing settlements in the Caribbean.
In the 16th century, Pedro Barela (1505-1572) was a prominent author and scholar from Seville. He authored several influential works on philosophy, theology, and literature, earning him a reputation as one of the leading intellectuals of his time.
The 17th century saw the rise of Catalina Barela (1618-1692), a celebrated painter from Valencia. Her works, often depicting religious and mythological scenes, were highly sought after by the Spanish nobility and remain valuable examples of the Baroque art movement.
In the 18th century, the name Barela was associated with the conquistadors and colonizers who ventured into the Americas. One such figure was Diego Barela (1725-1798), a Spanish military officer who played a crucial role in the colonization efforts in present-day Argentina and Chile.
As the centuries progressed, the Barela surname continued to spread across Spain and its territories, with descendants carrying on the name and contributing to various fields and professions. While the origins of the name are rooted in an occupational lineage, the Barela surname has since become a symbol of Spanish heritage and cultural identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barela
Among Census respondents with the surname Barela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.2%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Barela 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 Barela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.5% · 5,837
- White15.2% · 1,085
- Two or more races1.0% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 63
- Black or African American0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barela
Barela 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
#4,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,739
+917 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Up 163 places
2020
#4,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,159
-580 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Down 205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,749 | 6,822 | 2.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,586 | 7,739 | 2.62 | +917 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 163 places |
| 2020 | #4,791 | 7,159 | 2.40 | -580 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 205 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 Barela 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 | #4,586 | #4,791 | -4.5% |
| Count | 7,739 | 7,159 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.40 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barela bearers went from 7,739 to 7,159 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 205 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,586 to #4,791.
FAQ
Barela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barela?
Name Census estimates that about 8,209 living Americans carry the surname Barela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,753 residents.
How common is Barela?
Barela ranks #4,791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.40 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 7,159 people with the surname Barela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,209), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.40 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 Barela.
Has Barela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barela went from 7,739 recorded bearers to 7,159. That is a decrease of 580 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,586 to #4,791.
What does the Census say about the background of Barela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.2%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (5,837 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.5%), White (15.2%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Barela (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 Barela mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Varela, likely derived from "vara" meaning "rod" or "pole". 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 Barela (2.40 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 Barela?
If you just want to know how many people are called Barela, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.