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

Barrow, 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 Barrow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barrow in America

Barrow is the 2159th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barrow surname appeared 16,801 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Barrow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barrow 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 Barrow

The surname Barrow is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "beorg" or "bearu," which means a hill or mound. The name was initially used to refer to someone who lived near a hill or barrow.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name appears as "de la Berwe" and "de la Bergh," indicating that it was already in use during the Norman Conquest. The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1176, where it is spelled "de Barwe."

The surname Barrow is closely associated with various place names in England, such as Barrow-upon-Soar in Leicestershire, Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, and Barrow-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire. These place names contributed to the widespread use and distribution of the surname throughout the country.

One notable figure with the surname Barrow was Isaac Barrow (1630-1677), an English mathematician and theologian who served as the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. He made significant contributions to the development of calculus and optics.

William Barrow (1609-1667) was an English politician and member of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War. He fought for the Parliamentarian cause and played a role in the trial and execution of King Charles I.

John Barrow (1764-1848) was an English writer and traveler who accompanied Lord Macartney on his famous embassy to China in 1792-1794. He later became the Second Secretary to the Admiralty and co-founded the Royal Geographical Society.

Henry Barrow (1550-1593) was an English Puritan and Separatist who advocated for religious reform and the establishment of independent congregations separate from the Church of England. He was arrested and executed for his beliefs, becoming a martyr for the Puritan cause.

Robert Barrow (1807-1876) was a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Arctic regions. He participated in several expeditions to search for the Northwest Passage and made significant contributions to the mapping and exploration of the Arctic.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barrow

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

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

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

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