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

Barnswell, 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 Barnswell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barnswell in America

Barnswell is the 135593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barnswell surname appeared 124 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Barnswell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barnswell 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 Barnswell

The surname Barnswell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a barn or lived in a place called Barnswell.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines records for Essex, where a Roger de Barneswelle is mentioned in 1285. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the 13th century.

In the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, a Thomas de Barneswelle is listed, indicating the presence of this surname in the Midlands as well.

A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Barnswell, a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in the late 14th century, who served during the reign of Richard II.

The Barnswell family was also recorded in the Visitation of Essex in 1612, where their coat of arms is described as "Argent, a chevron between three lions rampant gules."

In the 17th century, a Richard Barnswell was appointed as the Rector of Harpley in Norfolk in 1654, indicating the spread of the name to East Anglia.

Another notable individual was William Barnswell, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and was captured by the American forces in 1778.

The Barnswells of Worcestershire were a prominent family in the 18th and 19th centuries, with several members serving as Justices of the Peace and High Sheriffs of the county.

In the literary world, Emily Barnswell (1805-1856) was a published author and poet, known for her works on religious themes.

The name has also been recorded in various spellings over the centuries, such as Barneswell, Barnswelle, and Barnswall, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barnswell

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

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

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

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