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

Barnhardt, 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 Barnhardt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barnhardt in America

Barnhardt is the 12215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barnhardt surname appeared 2,549 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 Barnhardt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barnhardt 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 Barnhardt

The surname Barnhardt is of German origin, originating in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in the southern parts of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.

The name is derived from the Old German words "barn" meaning "child" or "son" and "hart" meaning "hardy" or "brave". Thus, the name Barnhardt would have initially referred to a strong or courageous child or son.

One of the earliest known records of the name Barnhardt can be found in the Bairisches Wörterbuch, a Bavarian dictionary compiled in the 15th century. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Barnhardt (1515-1590) was a prominent Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany.

During the 17th century, the name Barnhardt appeared in various church records and official documents across southern Germany, indicating its continued use and spread.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Barnhardt (1708-1782), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.

As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling also emerged, such as Barnhart, Barnhard, and Barnard. These were likely influenced by regional dialects and pronunciation differences.

Another notable figure was Carl Barnhardt (1822-1896), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Barnhardt Manufacturing Company in North Carolina, which became one of the largest cotton mills in the United States.

In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with individuals like the American engineer and inventor Peter Barnhardt (1909-1990), who played a significant role in the development of the modern helicopter.

The surname Barnhardt has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Barnhardtshausen and Barnhardtshof, which likely derived from early settlers with the name in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barnhardt

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

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

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

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