2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Barendt
A German surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "brave bear".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Barendt. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barendt 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Barendt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barendt, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barendt
The surname Barendt is of German origin, derived from the personal name Bernhard, which is a compound of the Germanic elements "bern" meaning "bear" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy". The name Barendt is a contracted form of Bernhard, with the "r" dropped and the "d" added as a diminutive suffix, resulting in a name that translates to "little bear".
The earliest known record of the name Barendt dates back to the 13th century in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It appeared in various medieval manuscripts and records, often written as "Barendt" or "Barend". In the 14th century, the name was found in the town of Lübeck, where a merchant named Barendt Schiffer was recorded as a member of the city's guild.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Barendt spread throughout northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and Prussia. One notable individual from this time was Barendt von Raven (1535-1611), a German nobleman and military commander who served in the army of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 18th century, the name Barendt was found in various records in the Duchy of Holstein, which was then part of the Danish kingdom. One prominent figure was Barendt Thomsen (1725-1798), a Danish-German theologian and educator who served as a rector at the prestigious Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums in Hamburg.
As people migrated from Germany to other parts of Europe and beyond, the surname Barendt spread to different regions. In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the name was Barendt Olrik (1810-1875), a Danish historian and linguist who specialized in the study of Old Norse literature and mythology.
Another significant figure with the surname Barendt was Barendt Sternfeld (1835-1912), a German-American journalist and political activist who played a role in the labor movement in the United States during the late 19th century.
While the surname Barendt is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, nobles, scholars, and activists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barendt
Among Census respondents with the surname Barendt, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Barendt 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 Barendt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 10
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barendt
Barendt 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 129 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 Barendt 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 | #144,141 | #144,270 | -0.1% |
| Count | 115 | 117 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barendt bearers went from 115 to 117 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #144,270.
FAQ
Barendt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barendt?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Barendt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Barendt?
Barendt ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Barendt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Barendt.
Has Barendt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barendt went from 115 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Barendt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barendt, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Barendt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barendt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (8.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Barendt (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 Barendt mean?
A German surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "brave bear". 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 Barendt (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 Americans have the surname Barendt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.