2000
#85,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Barthelmess
Of German origin, meaning the son of Bartholomew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 245 Americans carry the last name Barthelmess. That puts it at #92,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,398,997 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barthelmess 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
245
1 in 1,398,997
Census rank
#92,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
214
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 214 bearers of the surname Barthelmess in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 92231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barthelmess, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barthelmess
The surname Barthelmess originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Bartholomaeus, which was a common name among medieval Christians and comes from the Aramaic bar-Talmay, meaning "son of the furrows" or "son of the fertile lands."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Barthelmess can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where a person named Bartolmeus is mentioned in a document dated 1284. Another early reference is found in the Würzburg municipal records from 1383, which list a Bartholomeus Henchin.
The Barthelmess surname is believed to have originated in the region of Franconia, which is now part of modern-day Bavaria, Germany. In the 14th century, a notable individual named Hans Barthelmess was recorded as a citizen of Nuremberg, a prominent city in Franconia.
Over the centuries, the surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Bartholmes, Bartelmess, and Bartholomäus. These variations were influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Barthelmess was Johann Barthelmess, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1519. He is recognized for his contributions to the Northern Renaissance art movement.
Another notable figure in history was Johann Barthelmess von Drachstedt (1558-1624), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in the Electorate of Saxony.
In the 19th century, Carl Barthelmess (1811-1889) was a German-American military officer who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was awarded the rank of brevet brigadier general.
The name Barthelmess also gained recognition in the early 20th century with Richard Barthelmess (1895-1963), an American actor and film producer who starred in numerous silent films and early talkies, earning him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Finally, one cannot overlook Mary Hayden Barthelmess (1910-1975), an American socialite and philanthropist who was known for her activism in various social and political causes, including women's rights and civil rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barthelmess
Among Census respondents with the surname Barthelmess, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Barthelmess 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 Barthelmess surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 18
- Two or more races3.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barthelmess
Barthelmess 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
#88,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 209
+5 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 3,388 places
2020
#92,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
+5 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 3,546 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #85,297 | 204 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,685 | 209 | 0.07 | +5 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 3,388 places |
| 2020 | #92,231 | 214 | 0.07 | +5 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 3,546 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 Barthelmess 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 | #88,685 | #92,231 | -4.0% |
| Count | 209 | 214 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barthelmess bearers went from 209 to 214 (+2.4% change). The surname moved down 3,546 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,685 to #92,231.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Barthelmess
FAQ
Barthelmess surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barthelmess?
Name Census estimates that about 245 living Americans carry the surname Barthelmess. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,398,997 residents.
How common is Barthelmess?
Barthelmess ranks #92,231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 214 people with the surname Barthelmess. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Barthelmess.
Has Barthelmess become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barthelmess went from 209 recorded bearers to 214. That is an increase of 5 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #88,685 to #92,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Barthelmess?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barthelmess, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barthelmess in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barthelmess appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (8.4%), Two or More Races (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 Barthelmess (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 Barthelmess mean?
Of German origin, meaning the son of Bartholomew. 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 Barthelmess (0.07 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 Barthelmess?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.