2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Barsenas
A Spanish surname meaning "a person from the town of Barcena".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Barsenas. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barsenas 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.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Barsenas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barsenas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barsenas
The surname BARSENAS has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "bars," which means "bars" or "rods," and the word "enas," which is a diminutive suffix indicating smallness or endearment. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with small bars or rods, such as a blacksmith or metalworker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BARSENAS surname can be found in the Catalan region of Spain, where it appears in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. During this time, the name was often spelled in different variations, such as "Barssenas," "Barsenas," or "Barzenas," reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings in those earlier periods.
In the 15th century, the BARSENAS name gained prominence in the Basque region of Spain, where it was associated with several notable families. One such family was the BARSENAS de Guipúzcoa, who were landowners and minor nobles in the province of Guipúzcoa. Their ancestral home, the Torre de BARSENAS, still stands in the town of Oñati.
The first recorded individual bearing the BARSENAS surname was Juan BARSENAS, a soldier who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Pedro BARSENAS (1524-1598), a Spanish priest and theologian who served as a Canon of the Cathedral of Seville and wrote several religious treatises.
In the 17th century, the BARSENAS name spread to other parts of Europe, including Portugal and Italy. One prominent individual from this period was Antonio BARSENAS (1645-1721), a Portuguese architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Lisbon and the surrounding areas.
As the Spanish Empire expanded into the Americas, the BARSENAS surname also found its way to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances was Miguel BARSENAS (1678-1742), a Spanish-born soldier and explorer who participated in expeditions to the American Southwest and helped establish settlements in what is now Texas.
Other notable individuals with the BARSENAS surname throughout history include Maria BARSENAS (1802-1875), a Spanish poet and writer whose works focused on themes of love and nature, and José BARSENAS (1876-1942), a Mexican artist and muralist known for his depictions of indigenous life and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barsenas
Among Census respondents with the surname Barsenas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Barsenas 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 Barsenas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.7% · 117
- White3.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barsenas
Barsenas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 2,081 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 Barsenas 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 | #139,228 | #141,309 | -1.5% |
| Count | 120 | 121 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barsenas bearers went from 120 to 121 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 2,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #141,309.
FAQ
Barsenas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barsenas?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Barsenas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Barsenas?
Barsenas ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Barsenas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Barsenas.
Has Barsenas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barsenas went from 120 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Barsenas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barsenas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barsenas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barsenas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.7%), White (3.3%). 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 Barsenas (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 Barsenas mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "a person from the town of Barcena". 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 Barsenas (0.04 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 Barsenas?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Barsenas, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.