2000
#691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.70
Uncommon Last name
Barry
An occupational surname for a gate keeper, derived from the Middle English "barry" meaning "gate or gateway."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 54,216 Americans carry the last name Barry. That puts it at #708 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,322 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barry 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 Barry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
54K
1 in 6,322
Census rank
#708
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
47K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 47,279 bearers of the surname Barry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 708th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barry
The surname Barry is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "barre" meaning a barrier or tollgate. It is believed to have originated in Normandy, France, before being brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In England, the name was initially associated with individuals who lived near or were responsible for maintaining a tollgate or barrier. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Barre" in various counties including Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name evolved to take on various spellings such as Barry, Bary, and Barri. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was William de Barry, who lived in the 12th century and held lands in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Another notable figure was Gerald de Barry, also known as Giraldus Cambrensis (c. 1146-1223), a renowned Welsh cleric, author, and historian. He wrote extensively about the Norman conquest of Ireland and is considered one of the most important medieval writers in Britain.
In Ireland, the name Barry became prominent during the Anglo-Norman invasion of the late 12th century. One of the most illustrious families bearing this name was the Barry family of County Cork, who traces their ancestry back to Philip de Barry, a Norman knight who accompanied King Henry II to Ireland in 1171. The Barry family played a significant role in Irish history and held influential positions in the region for centuries.
In the United States, the Barry surname can be traced back to early colonial times. One of the first recorded individuals with this name was John Barry (c. 1745-1803), known as the "Father of the American Navy." He was an Irish-born merchant mariner and naval officer who became the first commissioned officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the surname Barry include:
1. James Barry (c. 1789-1865), an Irish physician who lived as a man and was renowned for performing one of the first successful cesarean sections in the British Empire.
2. Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860), an English architect best known for designing the Houses of Parliament in London.
3. Marie Barry (1917-2014), an American film and television actress who appeared in numerous productions during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
4. John Barry (1933-2011), an English composer and conductor who won multiple Academy Awards for his film scores, including "Born Free" and "Dances with Wolves."
The surname Barry has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by many notable figures across various fields. Its origins can be traced back to the Norman settlers in England and their subsequent expansion into Ireland, where it became a prominent name associated with powerful families and influential individuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barry
Among Census respondents with the surname Barry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Barry 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 Barry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 37,314
- Black or African American13.2% · 6,238
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,641
- Two or more races3.1% · 1,455
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 471
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 160
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barry
Barry 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
#738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,274
+2,230 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 16.03
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,279
+5 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 15.82
Rank movement Up 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #691 | 45,044 | 16.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #738 | 47,274 | 16.03 | +2,230 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #708 | 47,279 | 15.82 | +5 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 30 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 Barry 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 | #738 | #708 | 4.1% |
| Count | 47,274 | 47,279 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 16.03 | 15.82 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barry bearers went from 47,274 to 47,279 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #738 to #708.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barry
FAQ
Barry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barry?
Name Census estimates that about 54,216 living Americans carry the surname Barry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,322 residents.
How common is Barry?
Barry ranks #708 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 47,279 people with the surname Barry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (54,216), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Barry.
Has Barry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barry went from 47,274 recorded bearers to 47,279. That is an increase of 5 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #738 to #708.
What does the Census say about the background of Barry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Barry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (37,314 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (13.2%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Barry (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 Barry mean?
An occupational surname for a gate keeper, derived from the Middle English "barry" meaning "gate or gateway." 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 Barry (15.82 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 Americans have the surname Barry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.