2000
#99,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Barrowclough
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with an ancient burial mound or burial hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 189 Americans carry the last name Barrowclough. That puts it at #113,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,813,515 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barrowclough 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 Barrowclough with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
189
1 in 1,813,515
Census rank
#113,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
165
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 165 bearers of the surname Barrowclough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 113026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrowclough, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barrowclough
The surname Barrowclough is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "bearu" meaning grove or wood, and "cloh" meaning ravine or valley. It is a locational surname, suggesting that the name originated from a place named Barrowclough, likely referring to a wooded ravine or valley.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 13th century in the county of Lancashire, England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Baroclough, mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls in 1292.
In the 16th century, the name was also found in the neighboring county of Yorkshire, where variations like Baraclough and Baroclough were recorded. A notable bearer from this time was John Barrowclough, who was listed as a landowner in the Yorkshire Feet of Fines in 1585.
The Barrowclough surname is closely associated with the town of Barrowclough in Lancashire, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Baroclove." This place name likely influenced the development of the surname.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Barrowclough have achieved notable standing. James Barrowclough (1737-1808) was a British Methodist minister and author, known for his work "The Chief Heads of the Arguments Against the Book of the Revelations." William Barrowclough (1835-1903) was a prominent English architect, responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the North of England.
Other notable bearers of the name include John Barrowclough (1890-1975), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and Thomas Barrowclough (1865-1925), a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gorton from 1918 to 1922.
The surname Barrowclough continues to be most prevalent in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, where it originated, but has also spread to other parts of England and beyond through migration and settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barrowclough
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrowclough, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Barrowclough 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 Barrowclough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 154
- Two or more races3.6% · 6
- Black or African American1.2% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barrowclough
Barrowclough 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
#110,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
-10 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,611 places
2020
#113,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
+6 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 2,201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,214 | 169 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,825 | 159 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 11,611 places |
| 2020 | #113,026 | 165 | 0.06 | +6 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 2,201 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 Barrowclough 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 | #110,825 | #113,026 | -2.0% |
| Count | 159 | 165 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barrowclough bearers went from 159 to 165 (+3.8% change). The surname moved down 2,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,825 to #113,026.
FAQ
Barrowclough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barrowclough?
Name Census estimates that about 189 living Americans carry the surname Barrowclough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,813,515 residents.
How common is Barrowclough?
Barrowclough ranks #113,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 165 people with the surname Barrowclough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Barrowclough.
Has Barrowclough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barrowclough went from 159 recorded bearers to 165. That is an increase of 6 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,825 to #113,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Barrowclough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrowclough, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Barrowclough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barrowclough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (1.2%). 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 Barrowclough (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 Barrowclough mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with an ancient burial mound or burial hill. 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 Barrowclough (0.06 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 have the last name Barrowclough?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Barrowclough at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.