2000
#15,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,792
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Bartow
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "barley hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,171 Americans carry the last name Bartow. That puts it at #14,988 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartow 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 Bartow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,879
Census rank
#14,988
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,893 bearers of the surname Bartow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14988th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartow
The surname Bartow has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "bær" meaning "bear" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement." This suggests that the name may have referred to a settlement or enclosure where bears were found or kept.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, where a person named John de Barton is mentioned.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Bartun, Barton, and Berton, reflecting the phonetic variations common during that time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a Richard de Barton, while the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 lists a John Barton.
The name Bartow is also associated with several place names in England, including Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire, Barton Bendish in Norfolk, and Barton-le-Clay in Bedfordshire. These place names may have influenced the surname's development or vice versa.
Some notable individuals bearing the Bartow surname throughout history include:
1. John Bartow (c. 1570 - 1646), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire.
2. Thomas Bartow (1609 - 1683), an English-born settler in colonial America who established a plantation on Long Island, New York.
3. William Bartow (1701 - 1786), a colonial American politician and judge who served as a member of the New York Provincial Assembly.
4. Nathaniel Bartow (1725 - 1808), an American military officer who fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
5. John Bartow (1735 - 1805), an American politician and lawyer who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
The Bartow surname has a rich history, with its roots dating back to medieval England and its association with various place names and notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartow
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartow 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 Bartow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 1,598
- Two or more races4.5% · 86
- Black or African American4.4% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartow
Bartow 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
#14,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,059
+267 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 607 places
2020
#14,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,893
-166 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,099 | 1,792 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,492 | 2,059 | 0.70 | +267 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 607 places |
| 2020 | #14,988 | 1,893 | 0.63 | -166 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 496 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 Bartow 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 | #14,492 | #14,988 | -3.4% |
| Count | 2,059 | 1,893 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.63 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartow bearers went from 2,059 to 1,893 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 496 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,492 to #14,988.
FAQ
Bartow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartow?
Name Census estimates that about 2,171 living Americans carry the surname Bartow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,879 residents.
How common is Bartow?
Bartow ranks #14,988 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,893 people with the surname Bartow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Bartow.
Has Bartow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartow went from 2,059 recorded bearers to 1,893. That is a decrease of 166 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,492 to #14,988.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (4.4%). 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 Bartow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (1,598 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Black (4.4%). 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 Bartow (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 Bartow mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "barley hill" in Old English. 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 Bartow (0.63 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 are called Bartow?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Bartow on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.