2000
#2,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,556
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.77
Uncommon Last name
Barney
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "burnt island" or "place cleared by burning."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,970 Americans carry the last name Barney. That puts it at #2,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barney 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 Barney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,074
Census rank
#2,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,671 bearers of the surname Barney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barney, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barney
Among Census respondents with the surname Barney, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Barney 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 Barney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 11,969
- Black or African American12.0% · 1,881
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 616
- Two or more races3.9% · 609
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 484
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 112
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barney
Barney 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
#2,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,404
+848 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 5.56
Rank movement Down 80 places
2020
#2,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,671
-733 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 5.24
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,144 | 15,556 | 5.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,224 | 16,404 | 5.56 | +848 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 80 places |
| 2020 | #2,261 | 15,671 | 5.24 | -733 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 37 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 Barney 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 | #2,224 | #2,261 | -1.7% |
| Count | 16,404 | 15,671 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.56 | 5.24 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barney bearers went from 16,404 to 15,671 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,224 to #2,261.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barney
FAQ
Barney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barney?
Name Census estimates that about 17,970 living Americans carry the surname Barney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,074 residents.
How common is Barney?
Barney ranks #2,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,671 people with the surname Barney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,970), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Barney.
Has Barney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barney went from 16,404 recorded bearers to 15,671. That is a decrease of 733 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,224 to #2,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Barney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barney, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Barney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (11,969 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (12.0%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Barney (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 Barney mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "burnt island" or "place cleared by burning." 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 Barney (5.24 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 common is the surname Barney?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Barney at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.