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

Barney, 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 Barney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barney in America

Barney is the 2224th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barney surname appeared 16,404 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Barney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barney 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 Barney

The surname Barney is of English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Barnaby, which was a variant of the Hebrew name Barnabas, meaning "son of consolation" or "son of encouragement." The name Barnaby was introduced to Britain by early Christian missionaries and became a popular name among the Anglo-Saxons.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Barney can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Barneby." This suggests that the name had already been in use as a surname by the late 11th century. During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Barnaby, Barneby, and Barnabie.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Richard Barney was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, indicating that Richard Barney was a landholder or taxpayer during that time.

The name Barney was also associated with several place names in England, such as Barney in Norfolk, which was recorded as "Berneye" in the Domesday Book. This suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname Barney based on their place of origin or residence.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Barney was Sir John Barney, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1370. He was a prominent merchant and played a significant role in the city's affairs during his tenure.

Another notable figure with the surname Barney was Richard Barney (c. 1530-1593), an English Protestant reformer and writer. He was a staunch supporter of the Church of England and authored several works defending the Protestant faith against Catholic doctrines.

In the 17th century, Jacob Barney (1634-1690) was a prominent English Quaker and minister. He was a vocal advocate for religious freedom and traveled extensively to spread the Quaker message throughout England and the American colonies.

During the 18th century, Commodore Joshua Barney (1759-1818) was a renowned American naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. He was known for his daring exploits and his role in defending the Chesapeake Bay region against British forces.

The surname Barney has also been associated with several literary figures, including English poet and author Nathaniel Barney (1828-1909), who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical themes, and American novelist and playwright Lewis Barney (1919-2009), known for his works exploring themes of identity and social issues.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barney

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

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

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

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