2000
#45,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 439
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Barrasso
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning 'barrel' or 'barrel maker'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 453 Americans carry the last name Barrasso. That puts it at #55,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 756,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barrasso 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
453
1 in 756,632
Census rank
#55,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
395
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 395 bearers of the surname Barrasso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barrasso
The surname Barrasso originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Basilicata. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "barrasso," which means "red clay" or "reddish earth." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived or worked near areas with reddish soil.
The earliest recorded instances of the Barrasso surname can be traced back to the 16th century in various Italian records and documents. One notable example is Giovanni Barrasso, a renowned architect from Naples who lived in the late 16th century and contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in the city.
In the 17th century, the Barrasso surname appeared in the records of the city of Matera, located in the southern region of Basilicata. This region was known for its unique landscape and houses carved into the rocky terrain, which may have influenced the meaning of the name.
During the 18th century, the Barrasso family gained prominence in the town of Potenza, also in Basilicata. Records show that several members of the family held influential positions in local government and the church.
One notable figure from this era was Francesco Barrasso, born in 1732, who served as the mayor of Potenza and played a crucial role in the development of the town's infrastructure and public works.
In the 19th century, the Barrasso surname spread beyond Italy as Italian immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was Andrea Barrasso, who was born in Naples in 1820 and immigrated to New York in the mid-1800s.
Another prominent figure was Giuseppe Barrasso, born in 1875 in the town of Melfi, Basilicata. He was a respected writer and journalist who published several works on the history and culture of his native region.
As the Barrasso family continued to grow and disperse, the surname became more widespread across various countries, including the United States, Argentina, and Canada, where it is still found today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barrasso
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Barrasso 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 Barrasso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 363
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 18
- Two or more races2.3% · 9
- Black or African American1.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barrasso
Barrasso 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
#49,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 426
-13 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 3,536 places
2020
#55,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 395
-31 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 6,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,829 | 439 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,365 | 426 | 0.14 | -13 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 3,536 places |
| 2020 | #55,981 | 395 | 0.13 | -31 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 6,616 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 Barrasso 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 | #49,365 | #55,981 | -13.4% |
| Count | 426 | 395 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barrasso bearers went from 426 to 395 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 6,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,365 to #55,981.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barrasso
FAQ
Barrasso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barrasso?
Name Census estimates that about 453 living Americans carry the surname Barrasso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 756,632 residents.
How common is Barrasso?
Barrasso ranks #55,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 395 people with the surname Barrasso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Barrasso.
Has Barrasso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barrasso went from 426 recorded bearers to 395. That is a decrease of 31 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #49,365 to #55,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Barrasso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Barrasso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (363 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barrasso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Barrasso (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 Barrasso mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning 'barrel' or 'barrel maker'. 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 Barrasso (0.13 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 are called Barrasso?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Barrasso is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.