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

Barnes, 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 Barnes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barnes in America

Barnes is the 110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barnes surname appeared 218,241 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 74 people would have the surname Barnes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barnes 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 Barnes

The surname Barnes originates from the English language and is believed to have first appeared in the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "bearn", meaning a child or young man, and the word "hus", meaning a house or homestead. The name was likely given to someone who lived or worked in a barn or outbuilding.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Barn". This record suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.

In the 12th century, the name was also recorded as "Barne" and "Barns" in various English historical documents. Some of the earliest examples include William Barne, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195, and Robert de Barns, who was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1204.

The name Barnes is also associated with several place names in England, such as Barnes in London, which was originally recorded as "Barne" in the Domesday Book, and Barnes in Sunderland, which was known as "Barn" in ancient records.

One famous individual with the surname Barnes was Juliana Barnes, an English writer and herbalist who lived in the 16th century. She is known for her work "The Herbal or General Historie of Plantes", published in 1598.

Another notable figure was Thomas Barnes, a Puritan minister and author who lived from 1594 to 1667. He was a significant figure in the English Reformation and wrote several influential works on theology and church governance.

In the 18th century, John Barnes, an English naval officer and explorer, was born in 1752. He is best known for his voyages to the Pacific Northwest of North America and his exploration of the regions that are now part of British Columbia and Alaska.

Joshua Barnes, born in 1654 and died in 1712, was an English scholar and writer. He made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature and authored several works on classical texts.

Finally, Susan Barnes, born in 1817 and died in 1910, was an English philanthropist and social reformer. She was instrumental in establishing several charitable organizations and advocating for the rights of women and children in Victorian England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barnes

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

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

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

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