2000
#2,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,635
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.43
Uncommon Last name
Barger
An occupational surname referring to a person who tanned leather or worked with animal hides.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,662 Americans carry the last name Barger. That puts it at #2,585 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,884 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barger 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
16K
1 in 21,884
Census rank
#2,585
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,658 bearers of the surname Barger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2585th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barger
Among Census respondents with the surname Barger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Barger 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 Barger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 12,397
- Two or more races3.6% · 495
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 378
- Black or African American1.2% · 170
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barger
Barger 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
#2,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,324
-311 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 4.86
Rank movement Down 253 places
2020
#2,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,658
-666 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.57
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,275 | 14,635 | 5.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,528 | 14,324 | 4.86 | -311 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 253 places |
| 2020 | #2,585 | 13,658 | 4.57 | -666 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 57 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 Barger 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 | #2,528 | #2,585 | -2.3% |
| Count | 14,324 | 13,658 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.86 | 4.57 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barger bearers went from 14,324 to 13,658 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,528 to #2,585.
FAQ
Barger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barger?
Name Census estimates that about 15,662 living Americans carry the surname Barger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,884 residents.
How common is Barger?
Barger ranks #2,585 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,658 people with the surname Barger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,662), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Barger.
Has Barger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barger went from 14,324 recorded bearers to 13,658. That is a decrease of 666 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,528 to #2,585.
What does the Census say about the background of Barger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Barger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (12,397 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Barger (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 Barger mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who tanned leather or worked with animal hides. 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 Barger (4.57 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 people have the last name Barger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Barger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.