Find out how popular the last name Barger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Barger.

Barger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Barger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barger in America

Barger is the 2528th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barger surname appeared 14,324 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Barger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Barger

The surname Barger originated in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "Berg," which means hill or mountain, and was initially given as a descriptive name to someone who lived near a hill or mountain.

The earliest recorded mention of the name Barger can be found in the 13th-century German manuscript, the "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus," which contains a reference to a person named "Henricus Berger" in 1243. Another early record is found in the "Wirtschaftsbuch" (economic book) of the city of Freiburg, which mentions a "Johannes Berger" in 1347.

The name Barger has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Berger, Bergher, and Bargher, reflecting regional dialects and differences in pronunciation. Some early examples of place names associated with the surname include Bergheim, Bergkirchen, and Berghausen, all of which are located in Germany.

One notable historical figure with the surname Barger was Johann Philipp von Barger (1720-1789), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as the chancellor of the University of Heidelberg. Another prominent individual was Johann Gottfried Barger (1741-1821), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Göttingen.

In England, the surname Barger can be traced back to the 16th century, and it is believed to have been introduced by German immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is William Barger, who was born in London in 1574.

Another notable figure with the surname Barger was Heinrich Barger (1854-1923), a German chemist who made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry. He is particularly known for his work on the synthesis of various alkaloids, including morphine and codeine.

Additionally, the name Barger has been associated with several individuals in the field of literature, such as the American author and poet, Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (née Barger, 1917-2000), who was the first African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Barger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Barger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Barger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Barger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Barger, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!