2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Barfels
A German surname derived from the words "bar" meaning bare and "fels" meaning rock, likely referring to someone living near a rocky outcrop.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Barfels. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barfels 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Barfels in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barfels, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barfels
The surname Barfels has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "bar" meaning bare or uncovered, and "fels" meaning rock or cliff. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a bare or exposed rock formation.
The earliest known record of the name Barfels appears in a 1569 census in the town of Wiesbaden, where a family with that surname was listed as residents. It is possible that the name originated in this region or nearby areas of central Germany.
In the 17th century, variations of the spelling such as "Barfeltz" and "Barfeldes" can be found in church records and land registries across various German states. This indicates that the name had spread to different areas, likely as families migrated or established new branches.
One notable figure with the surname Barfels was Johann Barfels, a German soldier born in 1712 who fought in the War of the Austrian Succession. Records show that he was awarded a medal for bravery in the Battle of Dettingen in 1743.
Another individual of note was Maria Barfels, a 19th-century painter from the city of Cologne. Born in 1825, she gained recognition for her landscape paintings depicting the scenic Rhine region.
In the late 19th century, a man named Friedrich Barfels was a prominent businessman and landowner in the town of Hanau. He is credited with establishing several successful textile mills in the area, providing employment for many local residents.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Germany was Hans Barfels, an immigrant to the United States who arrived in New York in 1912. He later settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a coal miner.
Another notable figure was Elise Barfels, born in 1901 in Berlin. She was a pioneering female architect who designed several notable buildings in the city during the interwar period, including an apartment complex that still stands today.
While the name Barfels is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history rooted in different regions of Germany, with various individuals leaving their mark across various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barfels
Among Census respondents with the surname Barfels, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Barfels 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 Barfels surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 101
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barfels
Barfels 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,355 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 Barfels 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 | #141,140 | #146,495 | -3.8% |
| Count | 118 | 114 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barfels bearers went from 118 to 114 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,355 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #146,495.
FAQ
Barfels surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barfels?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Barfels. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Barfels?
Barfels ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Barfels. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Barfels.
Has Barfels become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barfels went from 118 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Barfels?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barfels, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Barfels in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barfels appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (6.1%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Barfels (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 Barfels mean?
A German surname derived from the words "bar" meaning bare and "fels" meaning rock, likely referring to someone living near a rocky outcrop. 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 Barfels (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 Barfels?
You can see how many people have the last name Barfels on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.