2000
#3,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,926
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.31
Rare Last name
Barnhill
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a barn hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,835 Americans carry the last name Barnhill. That puts it at #4,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,850 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barnhill 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
9.8K
1 in 34,850
Census rank
#4,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,577 bearers of the surname Barnhill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barnhill
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Barnhill 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 Barnhill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 6,865
- Black or African American11.3% · 965
- Two or more races4.7% · 401
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 209
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barnhill
Barnhill 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
#3,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,040
+114 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#4,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,577
-463 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.87
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,658 | 8,926 | 3.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,940 | 9,040 | 3.06 | +114 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #4,018 | 8,577 | 2.87 | -463 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 78 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 Barnhill 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 | #3,940 | #4,018 | -2.0% |
| Count | 9,040 | 8,577 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.06 | 2.87 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barnhill bearers went from 9,040 to 8,577 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,940 to #4,018.
FAQ
Barnhill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barnhill?
Name Census estimates that about 9,835 living Americans carry the surname Barnhill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,850 residents.
How common is Barnhill?
Barnhill ranks #4,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,577 people with the surname Barnhill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Barnhill.
Has Barnhill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barnhill went from 9,040 recorded bearers to 8,577. That is a decrease of 463 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,940 to #4,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Barnhill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barnhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Barnhill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (6,865 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barnhill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Barnhill (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 Barnhill mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a barn hill. 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 Barnhill (2.87 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 share the surname Barnhill?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.