2000
#7,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,917
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Barto
Derived from a shortened form of the German name Bartolomaeus, meaning "son of Talmai" or "son of the furrow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,344 Americans carry the last name Barto. That puts it at #8,367 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barto 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
4.3K
1 in 78,903
Census rank
#8,367
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,788 bearers of the surname Barto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8367th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barto, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Barto
The surname Barto is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Lombardy, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Italian word "barto," which means "innkeeper" or "tavern keeper." This suggests that the name may have been occupational in origin, referring to an ancestor who ran a tavern or inn.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Barto can be found in the historical records of the city of Milan, dating back to the 13th century. A document from 1267 mentions a certain "Guglielmo Barto," who was likely an innkeeper or tavern owner in the city at that time.
In the 14th century, the name Barto appeared in several other Italian cities, including Genoa and Florence. In Genoa, a record from 1328 mentions a "Giovanni Barto," who was a merchant and trader in the city's bustling maritime economy.
As the name Barto spread across Italy, it also began to take on different spellings and variations. In some regions, it was written as "Barto," while in others, it appeared as "Bartoli" or "Bartolini." These variations often reflected local dialects and linguistic influences.
One of the earliest recorded places associated with the name Barto is the town of Barto, located in the province of Piacenza, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. This town likely took its name from an early settler or landowner with the surname Barto, although the exact origins of the town's name are unclear.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Barto. One of the earliest was Francesco Barto (1470-1535), a renowned painter and artist from the city of Ferrara. His works can still be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.
Another notable Barto was Girolamo Barto (1551-1617), a composer and music theorist from the city of Bologna. He was known for his contributions to the development of counterpoint and polyphonic music during the Renaissance period.
In the 18th century, Tommaso Barto (1722-1798) was a prominent architect and engineer from Milan. He designed several churches and public buildings throughout the city, including the Church of Santa Maria presso San Celso.
Moving into the 19th century, Giuseppe Barto (1816-1892) was an Italian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was involved in the efforts to unify Italy under the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.
Finally, in the 20th century, Alberto Barto (1920-2002) was an accomplished sculptor and artist from the city of Verona. His works can be found in numerous museums and public spaces throughout Italy and Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barto
Among Census respondents with the surname Barto, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Barto 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 Barto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 3,410
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 141
- Two or more races3.5% · 131
- Black or African American1.2% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barto
Barto 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
#7,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,174
+257 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#8,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,788
-386 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 439 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,839 | 3,917 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,928 | 4,174 | 1.42 | +257 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #8,367 | 3,788 | 1.27 | -386 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 439 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 Barto 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 | #7,928 | #8,367 | -5.5% |
| Count | 4,174 | 3,788 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.27 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barto bearers went from 4,174 to 3,788 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 439 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,928 to #8,367.
FAQ
Barto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barto?
Name Census estimates that about 4,344 living Americans carry the surname Barto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,903 residents.
How common is Barto?
Barto ranks #8,367 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,788 people with the surname Barto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Barto.
Has Barto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barto went from 4,174 recorded bearers to 3,788. That is a decrease of 386 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,928 to #8,367.
What does the Census say about the background of Barto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barto, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Barto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (3,410 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (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 Barto (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 Barto mean?
Derived from a shortened form of the German name Bartolomaeus, meaning "son of Talmai" or "son of the furrow." 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 Barto (1.27 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 Barto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.