2000
#13,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,076
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Barrette
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hats or caps.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,212 Americans carry the last name Barrette. That puts it at #14,772 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barrette 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
2.2K
1 in 154,952
Census rank
#14,772
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,929 bearers of the surname Barrette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14772nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrette, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barrette
The surname Barrette has its origins in France, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "barret," which referred to a type of headgear commonly worn by men during that time. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who wore or made such headgear.
In its earliest recorded form, the surname was spelled "Barrete" or "Barete." Over time, variations such as "Barret," "Barrette," and "Barrett" emerged as the name spread across different regions of France and eventually to other parts of Europe.
One of the earliest known references to the name Barrette can be found in the 13th-century French manuscript "Le Roman de la Rose," where a character named "Jehan Barete" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in France by that period.
During the Middle Ages, the Barrette family held land and property in various regions of France, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. Some notable individuals with this surname from that era include Guillaume Barrette, a French knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), and Jehan Barrette, a merchant and landowner from the city of Lyon, born in the late 14th century.
As the surname spread across Europe, it also took root in other countries, such as England and Scotland. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is found in the 1379 Poll Tax records, which mention a "John Barret" from the county of Somerset.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, several members of the Barrette family were notable figures in France and other parts of Europe. These include Jacques Barrette (1537-1615), a French theologian and author, and Pierre Barrette (1590-1672), a French explorer and fur trader who was among the first Europeans to explore the Great Lakes region of North America.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Barrette surname continued to be well-represented across various fields, such as the arts, politics, and academia. Notable individuals from this period include Jean-Dominique Barrette (1774-1841), a French painter known for his landscape and portrait works, and Émile Barrette (1835-1905), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Quebec Legislative Assembly.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barrette
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrette, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Barrette 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 Barrette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 1,679
- Two or more races5.1% · 99
- Black or African American4.6% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barrette
Barrette 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
#10,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,969
+893 bearers (+43.0%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 2,703 places
2020
#14,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,929
-1,040 bearers (-35.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 4,024 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,451 | 2,076 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,748 | 2,969 | 1.01 | +893 bearers (+43.0%) | Up 2,703 places |
| 2020 | #14,772 | 1,929 | 0.65 | -1,040 bearers (-35.0%) | Down 4,024 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 Barrette 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 | #10,748 | #14,772 | -37.4% |
| Count | 2,969 | 1,929 | -35.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.65 | -36.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barrette bearers went from 2,969 to 1,929 (-35.0% change). The surname moved down 4,024 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,748 to #14,772.
FAQ
Barrette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barrette?
Name Census estimates that about 2,212 living Americans carry the surname Barrette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,952 residents.
How common is Barrette?
Barrette ranks #14,772 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,929 people with the surname Barrette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Barrette.
Has Barrette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barrette went from 2,969 recorded bearers to 1,929. That is a decrease of 1,040 (-35.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,748 to #14,772.
What does the Census say about the background of Barrette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrette, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Barrette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (1,679 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barrette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Black (4.6%). 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 Barrette (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 Barrette mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hats or caps. 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 Barrette (0.65 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 common is the surname Barrette?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Barrette is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.