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

Barnhill, 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 Barnhill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barnhill in America

Barnhill is the 3940th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barnhill surname appeared 9,040 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Barnhill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barnhill 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 Barnhill

The surname Barnhill is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "bere" (barley) and "hyll" (hill), suggesting a connection to a location or a person associated with a hill where barley was cultivated.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Barnhill can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. The name appears as "de Bernhulle," referring to an individual from a place called "Bernhulle," likely a reference to a location with a barley hill.

During the 14th century, the name Barnhill appeared in various spellings, such as "Barnehull," "Barnahull," and "Bernehill," reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions at the time. The surname's connection to place names is further reinforced by records from the 16th century, where individuals were often referred to by their place of origin, such as "John Barnhill of Taunton."

One notable figure with the surname Barnhill was Robert Barnhill, a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1624. Another individual of note was William Barnhill, a Scottish minister who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1687.

In the 18th century, the Barnhill name gained prominence with the birth of John Barnhill (1736-1811), an English writer and author of several works, including "The Ground-Work of Philosophy" and "The Ground-Work of Theology." His son, John Barnhill Jr. (1760-1834), was also a respected author and theologian.

Another notable figure was Sir Henry Barnhill (1798-1876), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent landowner and politician, serving as a Member of Parliament for Berkshire from 1841 to 1857.

As the centuries passed, the Barnhill surname spread beyond its English roots, with bearers of the name found in various parts of the world, including Scotland, Ireland, and eventually, North America, where many Barnhills settled during the colonial era and subsequent waves of immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barnhill

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

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

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

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