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

Barkley, 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 Barkley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barkley in America

Barkley is the 2764th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barkley surname appeared 13,051 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Barkley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barkley 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 Barkley

The surname Barkley is of English origin, believed to have originated in the county of Derbyshire in the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational surname derived from the old English words "bere," meaning barley, and "leah," meaning a meadow or clearing, referring to a location where barley was grown.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Barkley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a William de Berkeleye was listed as a landowner in Derbyshire. The spelling variations during this period included Barkelay, Barkeley, and Barkley.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in several manor records and tax rolls, indicating the family's prominence in the region. One notable bearer was John de Barkley, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 as a taxpayer in Derbyshire.

The Barkley family's significance can also be seen in the place names derived from the surname. For instance, Barkley in Gloucestershire and Barkley Moor in Staffordshire were named after members of the family who held land in those areas.

During the 16th century, the Barkley name gained wider recognition with the rise of Sir Maurice Barkley (1515-1598), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench under Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure was Sir Robert Barkley (1648-1704), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Herefordshire. He played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which led to the overthrow of King James II.

In the 18th century, Charles Barkley (1759-1832) was a renowned English architect known for his work on several churches and country houses in the neoclassical style.

The 19th century saw the birth of Henry Barkley (1833-1909), a successful English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Barkley Charitable Trust, which provided support for education and healthcare initiatives.

In more recent times, the name gained international recognition with the American basketball player Charles Barkley (born 1963), a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barkley

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

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 Barkley 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 Barkley 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 Barkley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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