2000
#4,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,493
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.78
Rare Last name
Barrows
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a mound, hill, or burial place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,291 Americans carry the last name Barrows. That puts it at #4,745 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,341 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barrows 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 Barrows with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,341
Census rank
#4,745
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,230 bearers of the surname Barrows in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4745th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrows, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barrows
The surname BARROWS has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "beara," meaning a grove or a thicket, combined with the Old English word "hyrst," meaning a wooded hill or a hillock. This suggests that the name originally referred to individuals who lived near or worked in areas with dense foliage or wooded hills.
BARROWS is also closely related to the Old English word "beorg," meaning a burial mound or a barrow. This connection implies that some individuals bearing this surname may have lived near or had associations with ancient burial sites or barrows, which were common in certain parts of England during the Anglo-Saxon era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BARROWS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is mentioned as a place name in various counties, including Berkshire and Hertfordshire. This indicates that the name had already established itself in different regions of England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "de la Berwe" and "atte Berwe," reflecting the evolution of the English language and the influence of Norman French on surnames. These variations suggest that the name was initially associated with specific locations or settlements before becoming a more widespread surname.
Notable individuals bearing the surname BARROWS throughout history include:
1. Henry Barrows (1550-1593), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the Separatist movement, which later evolved into Congregationalism.
2. John Barrows (1638-1701), an English colonial settler and one of the founders of the town of Branford, Connecticut, in the United States.
3. Samuel Barrows (1775-1841), an American physician and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts.
4. Mary Barrows (1829-1894), an American educator and pioneer in the field of women's education, who founded the Maple Grove Seminary in Waukegan, Illinois.
5. David Prescott Barrows (1873-1942), an American educator and anthropologist who served as the President of the University of California and played a significant role in the establishment of the University of the Philippines.
The surname BARROWS continues to be found in various parts of the English-speaking world, reflecting its long-standing presence and the migrations of individuals bearing this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barrows
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrows, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Barrows 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 Barrows surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 6,060
- Two or more races5.0% · 363
- Black or African American4.9% · 352
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 330
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barrows
Barrows 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
#4,561
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,773
+280 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 179 places
2020
#4,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,230
-543 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,382 | 7,493 | 2.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,561 | 7,773 | 2.64 | +280 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 179 places |
| 2020 | #4,745 | 7,230 | 2.42 | -543 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 184 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 Barrows 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 | #4,561 | #4,745 | -4.0% |
| Count | 7,773 | 7,230 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.42 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barrows bearers went from 7,773 to 7,230 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 184 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,561 to #4,745.
FAQ
Barrows surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barrows?
Name Census estimates that about 8,291 living Americans carry the surname Barrows. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,341 residents.
How common is Barrows?
Barrows ranks #4,745 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,230 people with the surname Barrows. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,291), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Barrows.
Has Barrows become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barrows went from 7,773 recorded bearers to 7,230. That is a decrease of 543 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,561 to #4,745.
What does the Census say about the background of Barrows?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barrows, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barrows in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (6,060 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barrows appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (4.9%). 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 Barrows (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 Barrows mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a mound, hill, or burial place. 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 Barrows (2.42 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 surname Barrows?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.