2000
#10,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,766
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Barreras
A Spanish surname referring to living near or working at a barrier, gate, or fence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,796 Americans carry the last name Barreras. That puts it at #9,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barreras 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
3.8K
1 in 90,294
Census rank
#9,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,310 bearers of the surname Barreras in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barreras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barreras
The surname Barreras originates from Spain, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "barrera," which means "barrier" or "obstacle." This name likely arose as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a barrier or fortification.
One of the earliest known references to the Barreras surname comes from the 13th century, when it appeared in records from the region of Castile. During this time, many surnames were derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or geographic locations.
In the 14th century, the name Barreras was found in various medieval manuscripts and documents, including some from the Kingdom of Aragon. It is possible that the name was associated with individuals who lived or worked near defensive barriers or fortifications in these regions.
The Barreras surname has also been connected to certain place names, such as Barrera, a town in the province of Ávila, and Barreras, a municipality in the province of León. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname.
One notable individual with the surname Barreras was Diego de Barreras, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who lived in the 16th century. He participated in the conquest of Mexico and served under Hernán Cortés.
Another prominent figure was Tomás Barreras, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived from 1605 to 1670. He was known for his religious paintings and worked in various churches and monasteries throughout Spain.
Juan de Barreras, a Spanish writer and historian, was born in 1643 and died in 1721. He wrote extensively on Spanish history and was appointed as the official chronicler of the Kingdom of Castile.
In the 18th century, José Barreras y Figueroa (1712-1790) was a Spanish military officer and diplomat who served as the governor of several provinces in Spain and held important diplomatic positions.
Manuel Barreras (1786-1854) was a Spanish writer and journalist who played a significant role in the development of the Spanish press during the 19th century. He founded several newspapers and advocated for freedom of the press.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barreras
Among Census respondents with the surname Barreras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Barreras 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 Barreras surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.1% · 2,751
- White11.7% · 387
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.9% · 128
- Two or more races0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barreras
Barreras 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
#9,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,496
+730 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 1,316 places
2020
#9,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,310
-186 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,629 | 2,766 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,313 | 3,496 | 1.19 | +730 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 1,316 places |
| 2020 | #9,417 | 3,310 | 1.11 | -186 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 104 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 Barreras 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 | #9,313 | #9,417 | -1.1% |
| Count | 3,496 | 3,310 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.11 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barreras bearers went from 3,496 to 3,310 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,313 to #9,417.
FAQ
Barreras surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barreras?
Name Census estimates that about 3,796 living Americans carry the surname Barreras. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,294 residents.
How common is Barreras?
Barreras ranks #9,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,310 people with the surname Barreras. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,796), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Barreras.
Has Barreras become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barreras went from 3,496 recorded bearers to 3,310. That is a decrease of 186 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,313 to #9,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Barreras?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barreras, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barreras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (2,751 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barreras appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.1%), White (11.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.9%). 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 Barreras (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 Barreras mean?
A Spanish surname referring to living near or working at a barrier, gate, or fence. 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 Barreras (1.11 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 Americans have the surname Barreras?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.