2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Barrager
A surname originating from the French word 'barrager', meaning a toll collector or gatekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Barrager. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barrager 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Barrager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barrager
The surname BARRAGER has its origins in France, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "barrager," which referred to the occupation of a gatekeeper or toll collector at a barrier or gate. The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Normandy region of northern France.
In the 13th century, records show that a family with the surname BARRAGER resided in the village of Barrage, located near the city of Caen in Normandy. This place name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time. Some variations of the spelling included Barrager, Barrageur, and Barragier.
The surname BARRAGER gained prominence during the Middle Ages, particularly in the 14th and 15th centuries. One notable individual was Jean BARRAGER, a merchant from Rouen who was documented in the city's trade records in the year 1412. Another early bearer of the name was Guillaume BARRAGER, a farmer from the village of Barrage, whose name appeared in local tax records in 1487.
As the BARRAGER family spread throughout France and beyond, the surname underwent various spelling variations. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the French province of Burgundy, where the name was sometimes written as Barragey or Barragé.
One of the earliest known instances of the BARRAGER surname outside of France was in England. In the late 16th century, a French Huguenot named Pierre BARRAGER fled religious persecution and sought refuge in London. He and his descendants became prominent members of the city's French Protestant community.
Other notable individuals with the surname BARRAGER throughout history include:
1. Étienne BARRAGER (1623-1701), a French military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War.
2. Marie-Antoinette BARRAGER (1755-1823), a French writer and philosopher known for her feminist works.
3. Émile BARRAGER (1819-1884), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris.
4. Lucien BARRAGER (1867-1945), a French painter and sculptor associated with the Impressionist movement.
5. Henri BARRAGER (1892-1976), a French-Canadian politician who served as a member of Parliament in Quebec.
While the surname BARRAGER has its roots in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including other European countries, North America, and beyond, carried by generations of individuals with diverse occupations and accomplishments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barrager
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Barrager 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 Barrager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino11.7% · 13
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barrager
Barrager 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+16 bearers (+15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,104 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.7%) | Up 7,104 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,525 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 Barrager 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 | #141,140 | #148,665 | -5.3% |
| Count | 118 | 111 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barrager bearers went from 118 to 111 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #148,665.
FAQ
Barrager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barrager?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Barrager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Barrager?
Barrager ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Barrager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Barrager.
Has Barrager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barrager went from 118 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Barrager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Barrager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barrager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Hispanic (11.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Barrager (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 Barrager mean?
A surname originating from the French word 'barrager', meaning a toll collector or gatekeeper. 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 Barrager (0.04 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 Barrager?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.