2000
#11,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,527
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Bartram
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "barley homestead" or "barley enclosure."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,604 Americans carry the last name Bartram. That puts it at #12,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,626 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartram 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 Bartram with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,626
Census rank
#12,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,271 bearers of the surname Bartram in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartram, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartram
The surname Bartram is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name Beortram, which is composed of the elements "beorht" meaning bright and "ram" meaning ram or man.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1197, where it appears as Bertram. Other early spellings include Bartrame, Bartrem, and Bertrame.
The Bartram family is believed to have originated in the county of Gloucestershire, particularly in the village of Barnwood near Gloucester. The Domesday Book of 1086 records a landowner named Bertram in the area.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named John Bartram was recorded as a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. He served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1262.
Another prominent individual with this surname was John Bartram (1699-1777), an American botanist and explorer who is considered the father of American botany. He established the first botanical garden in North America, known as Bartram's Garden, near Philadelphia.
In the 16th century, the Bartram family had a significant presence in the county of Somerset, with several members recorded in the parish registers of Taunton and surrounding areas.
William Bartram (1739-1823), son of John Bartram, was a renowned naturalist and author who extensively explored the southeastern United States and wrote about his travels and observations.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Bartram family member named Robert Bartram was a captain in the Parliamentarian forces, serving under Oliver Cromwell.
The surname Bartram has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Bartram's Ash in Gloucestershire and Bartram's Court in Buckinghamshire, indicating the historical presence of the family in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartram
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartram, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartram 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 Bartram surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,110
- Two or more races3.4% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartram
Bartram 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
#11,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,730
+203 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 85 places
2020
#12,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
-459 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,437 | 2,527 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,522 | 2,730 | 0.93 | +203 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 85 places |
| 2020 | #12,934 | 2,271 | 0.76 | -459 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,412 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 Bartram 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 | #11,522 | #12,934 | -12.3% |
| Count | 2,730 | 2,271 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.76 | -18.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartram bearers went from 2,730 to 2,271 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,522 to #12,934.
FAQ
Bartram surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartram?
Name Census estimates that about 2,604 living Americans carry the surname Bartram. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,626 residents.
How common is Bartram?
Bartram ranks #12,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,271 people with the surname Bartram. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,604), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Bartram.
Has Bartram become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartram went from 2,730 recorded bearers to 2,271. That is a decrease of 459 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,522 to #12,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartram?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartram, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Bartram in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartram appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Bartram (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 Bartram mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "barley homestead" or "barley enclosure." 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 Bartram (0.76 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 common is the surname Bartram?
Want to know how many people have the surname Bartram? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.