2000
#1,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,642
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.28
Uncommon Last name
Barnhart
A German occupational surname referring to a barn-keeper or someone in charge of barns and stables.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,547 Americans carry the last name Barnhart. That puts it at #1,875 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,907 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barnhart 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.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,907
Census rank
#1,875
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,790 bearers of the surname Barnhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1875th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barnhart
The surname Barnhart is believed to have originated in Germany. It is derived from the old German words "barn" meaning "child" and "hart" meaning "brave" or "strong". Barnhart was initially a Germanic given name, but over time, it transitioned into a hereditary surname.
The earliest records of the name Barnhart can be traced back to the 12th century in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, an important collection of historical documents from Saxony.
During the medieval period, the Barnhart surname was also found in Switzerland, where it was sometimes spelled as "Barnhardt". The Swiss branch of the family can be traced back to the 14th century, with records showing a Johannes Barnhart living in Zurich in 1372.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Barnhart surname was Konrad Barnhart, a prominent German merchant and landowner who lived in the 15th century. He was mentioned in several historical documents from the city of Nuremberg, where he owned significant properties.
As the surname spread across Europe, it evolved into various spellings, such as Barnhardt, Barnhart, and Barnhartt. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
Among notable individuals with the Barnhart surname, we have:
1. Johann Barnhart (1630-1703), a German Protestant theologian and author from Saxony.
2. Friedrich Barnhart (1768-1842), a German-American farmer and Revolutionary War soldier who settled in Pennsylvania.
3. Elizabeth Barnhart (1794-1859), an American pioneer and midwife who lived in Indiana and helped deliver over 3,000 babies.
4. Johann Barnhart (1854-1928), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Old Colony Building.
5. Clarence Barnhart (1900-1993), an American lexicographer and editor, best known for his work on the Thorndike-Barnhart dictionaries.
Over the centuries, the Barnhart surname has been widely dispersed across various regions, including Germany, Switzerland, the United States, and other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barnhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Barnhart 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 Barnhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 16,950
- Two or more races3.6% · 674
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 659
- Black or African American1.5% · 284
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 91
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barnhart
Barnhart 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
#1,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,157
+515 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 6.83
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#1,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,790
-1,367 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 6.29
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,670 | 19,642 | 7.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,777 | 20,157 | 6.83 | +515 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #1,875 | 18,790 | 6.29 | -1,367 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 98 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 Barnhart 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 | #1,777 | #1,875 | -5.5% |
| Count | 20,157 | 18,790 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.83 | 6.29 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barnhart bearers went from 20,157 to 18,790 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,777 to #1,875.
FAQ
Barnhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barnhart?
Name Census estimates that about 21,547 living Americans carry the surname Barnhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,907 residents.
How common is Barnhart?
Barnhart ranks #1,875 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,790 people with the surname Barnhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,547), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Barnhart.
Has Barnhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barnhart went from 20,157 recorded bearers to 18,790. That is a decrease of 1,367 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,777 to #1,875.
What does the Census say about the background of Barnhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Barnhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (16,950 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barnhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Barnhart (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 Barnhart mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a barn-keeper or someone in charge of barns and stables. 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 Barnhart (6.29 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 people have the surname Barnhart?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.