2000
#9,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Barna
Hungarian habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Barnaháza, meaning "Barna's house."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,198 Americans carry the last name Barna. That puts it at #10,909 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,178 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barna 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Barna with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,178
Census rank
#10,909
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,789 bearers of the surname Barna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10909th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barna, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barna
Among Census respondents with the surname Barna, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Barna 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 Barna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,570
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 85
- Two or more races3.0% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 33
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barna
Barna 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
#9,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,516
+455 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 486 places
2020
#10,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,789
-727 bearers (-20.7%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 1,651 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,744 | 3,061 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,258 | 3,516 | 1.19 | +455 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 486 places |
| 2020 | #10,909 | 2,789 | 0.93 | -727 bearers (-20.7%) | Down 1,651 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 Barna 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 | #9,258 | #10,909 | -17.8% |
| Count | 3,516 | 2,789 | -20.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 0.93 | -21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barna bearers went from 3,516 to 2,789 (-20.7% change). The surname moved down 1,651 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,258 to #10,909.
FAQ
Barna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barna?
Name Census estimates that about 3,198 living Americans carry the surname Barna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,178 residents.
How common is Barna?
Barna ranks #10,909 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,789 people with the surname Barna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Barna.
Has Barna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barna went from 3,516 recorded bearers to 2,789. That is a decrease of 727 (-20.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,258 to #10,909.
What does the Census say about the background of Barna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barna, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Barna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Barna (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 Barna mean?
Hungarian habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Barnaháza, meaning "Barna's house." 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 Barna (0.93 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 Americans have the surname Barna?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.