2000
#14,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,884
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Bartle
A surname derived from the Old English word "bere-tun" meaning barley or grain farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,117 Americans carry the last name Bartle. That puts it at #15,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartle 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 Bartle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,906
Census rank
#15,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,846 bearers of the surname Bartle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartle
The surname Bartle originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "bær" meaning "bear" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "farm". This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a bear enclosure or a farm where bears were kept.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bartle can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Bertone". This indicates that the name was already in use during the 11th century and likely evolved from its earlier spelling over time.
The Bartle surname is closely associated with several place names in England, such as Barton in Oxfordshire and Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire. These place names share a similar etymology, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard Bartle residing in Gloucestershire in 1273. This is one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in its modern spelling.
During the 16th century, a notable individual bearing the Bartle surname was John Bartle (c. 1510 - c. 1570), an English clergyman and theologian. He was a prominent figure in the Church of England and served as the Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1554 to 1559.
Another prominent figure with the Bartle surname was Sir Edmund Bartle Frere (1763 - 1835), a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as the Governor of Malta from 1824 to 1826 and played a significant role in the administration of British colonies in the early 19th century.
In the literary world, Phyllis Bartle (1915 - 2006) was a notable British author and playwright. She wrote several novels and plays, including the acclaimed work "The Landlord's Daughter" in 1977.
The Bartle surname has also been associated with notable figures in the field of sports. William Bartle (1904 - 1976) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Manchester United and Blackpool, in the 1920s and 1930s.
Richard Bartle (born 1960) is a British writer and game designer, best known for co-writing the first multi-user dungeon (MUD) in 1978 while studying at the University of Essex. He is considered a pioneer in the field of virtual worlds and online gaming.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartle
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartle 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 Bartle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,699
- Two or more races3.1% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 57
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartle
Bartle 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
#16,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,677
-207 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 2,450 places
2020
#15,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,846
+169 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 1,646 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,503 | 1,884 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,953 | 1,677 | 0.57 | -207 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 2,450 places |
| 2020 | #15,307 | 1,846 | 0.62 | +169 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,646 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 Bartle 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 | #16,953 | #15,307 | 9.7% |
| Count | 1,677 | 1,846 | 10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.62 | 8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartle bearers went from 1,677 to 1,846 (+10.1% change). The surname moved up 1,646 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,953 to #15,307.
FAQ
Bartle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,117 living Americans carry the surname Bartle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,906 residents.
How common is Bartle?
Bartle ranks #15,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,846 people with the surname Bartle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bartle.
Has Bartle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartle went from 1,677 recorded bearers to 1,846. That is an increase of 169 (+10.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,953 to #15,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Bartle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,699 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Bartle (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 Bartle mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word "bere-tun" meaning barley or grain farm. 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 Bartle (0.62 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 share the surname Bartle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.