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

Barna, 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 Barna surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barna in America

Barna is the 9258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barna surname appeared 3,516 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Barna.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barna 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 Barna

The surname Barna has its origins in Hungary, dating back to the 10th century. It is derived from the Hungarian word "barna," which means "brown" or "dark-haired." This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for individuals with dark hair or complexions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Barna surname can be found in the Váradi Regestrum, a medieval register of legal proceedings from the Bishopric of Várad (now Oradea, Romania), dating back to the late 12th and early 13th centuries. This document contains references to individuals with the surname Barna.

In the 14th century, the Barna name appeared in various records and manuscripts across Hungary, indicating its widespread use during this period. For example, a nobleman named Barna de Zapolya was mentioned in documents from the reign of King Charles I of Hungary (1288-1342).

The name Barna has also been associated with several notable historical figures. One of the earliest was Barna de Szecsöd (c. 1280-1349), a Hungarian nobleman and military commander who served under King Charles I and played a crucial role in the Battle of Rozgony against the Bohemian forces in 1312.

Another prominent figure was Barna Cseh (1445-1508), a Hungarian Renaissance humanist, diplomat, and historian. He served as the ambassador of King Matthias Corvinus to the Holy Roman Empire and wrote several historical works, including a chronicle of Hungarian history.

In the 16th century, the Barna surname was linked to the village of Barna in Pest County (now part of Budapest), suggesting a possible connection between the name and this geographic location.

The 17th century saw the rise of Barna György (1588-1639), a Hungarian Calvinist preacher and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Hungary. He was known for his writings and sermons, which helped spread the Reformed teachings throughout the country.

In the 19th century, the composer and pianist Barna Mihály (1844-1913) gained recognition for his contributions to Hungarian classical music. He composed numerous works, including operas, symphonies, and chamber pieces, and served as the director of the Budapest Philharmonic Society.

These examples demonstrate the long history and diversity of the Barna surname, which has been present in Hungary and other parts of Central Europe for several centuries, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions to various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barna

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Barna, 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!