2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Barkie
A surname derived from the nickname "barkie" meaning a tanner or leather worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Barkie. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barkie 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Barkie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barkie, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.6%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barkie
The surname BARKIE is of Scottish origin, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 16th century in the Lowlands region of Scotland. The name is believed to have derived from the Scots word "bark," which referred to a tanner or worker in the leather industry. This occupation was particularly prevalent in the areas around Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BARKIE surname can be found in the Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland from 1567, where a certain "John Barkie" is mentioned as a merchant in the burgh of Jedburgh. Another early reference appears in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1616, where a "William Barkie" is listed as a resident of Dumfries.
The BARKIE name has also been linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Barkiesyde, a small hamlet in Lanarkshire mentioned in the Retours of Services of Heirs from the 17th century. Additionally, the surname may have been influenced by the similar-sounding place name "Barkly," a village in the Scottish Borders region.
Notable individuals bearing the BARKIE surname throughout history include:
1. Sir James Barkie (1590-1662), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as a Baillie (magistrate) of Edinburgh in the mid-17th century.
2. Reverend William Barkie (1625-1698), a Presbyterian minister and author from Ayrshire, known for his work "A Treatise on the Divinity of Christ."
3. John Barkie (1705-1773), a Scottish architect and builder who contributed to the construction of several churches and public buildings in Edinburgh during the 18th century.
4. Mary Barkie (1760-1845), a renowned Scottish poet and writer from Dumfriesshire, whose works explored themes of nature and rural life.
5. Alexander Barkie (1810-1892), a Scottish-born engineer and inventor who pioneered early designs for steam-powered agricultural machinery in the United States.
While the BARKIE surname has its origins in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and references provided here highlight the deep-rooted Scottish heritage and significance of this surname in the country's cultural and occupational landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barkie
Among Census respondents with the surname Barkie, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.6%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Barkie 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 Barkie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 78
- Black or African American13.6% · 15
- Two or more races6.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barkie
Barkie 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,193 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,006 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 18,193 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,006 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 Barkie 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 | #150,452 | #149,446 | 0.7% |
| Count | 109 | 110 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barkie bearers went from 109 to 110 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,006 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #149,446.
FAQ
Barkie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barkie?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Barkie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Barkie?
Barkie ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Barkie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Barkie.
Has Barkie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barkie went from 109 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Barkie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barkie, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.6%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Barkie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barkie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Black (13.6%), Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Barkie (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 Barkie mean?
A surname derived from the nickname "barkie" meaning a tanner or leather worker. 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 Barkie (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 people share the surname Barkie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.