2000
#2,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,277
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.66
Uncommon Last name
Barrow
An English occupational surname referring to someone who pushed a wheelbarrow or worked as a cart driver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,985 Americans carry the last name Barrow. That puts it at #2,127 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,054 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barrow 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Barrow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,054
Census rank
#2,127
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,556 bearers of the surname Barrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2127th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Barrow 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 Barrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.8% · 10,562
- Black or African American26.4% · 4,374
- Two or more races4.4% · 728
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 703
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barrow
Barrow 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
#2,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,801
+1,524 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 5.70
Rank movement Up 25 places
2020
#2,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,556
-245 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 5.54
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,184 | 15,277 | 5.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,159 | 16,801 | 5.70 | +1,524 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 25 places |
| 2020 | #2,127 | 16,556 | 5.54 | -245 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 32 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 Barrow 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 | #2,159 | #2,127 | 1.5% |
| Count | 16,801 | 16,556 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.70 | 5.54 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barrow bearers went from 16,801 to 16,556 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,159 to #2,127.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barrow
FAQ
Barrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barrow?
Name Census estimates that about 18,985 living Americans carry the surname Barrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,054 residents.
How common is Barrow?
Barrow ranks #2,127 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,556 people with the surname Barrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,985), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Barrow.
Has Barrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barrow went from 16,801 recorded bearers to 16,556. That is a decrease of 245 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,159 to #2,127.
What does the Census say about the background of Barrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Barrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.8% (10,562 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.8%), Black (26.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Barrow (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 Barrow mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who pushed a wheelbarrow or worked as a cart driver. 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 Barrow (5.54 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 Barrow?
See how many people have the last name Barrow on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.