2000
#11,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,409
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Bartsch
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a boatman, boatbuilder, or someone living near water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,651 Americans carry the last name Bartsch. That puts it at #12,747 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartsch 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 Bartsch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 129,292
Census rank
#12,747
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,312 bearers of the surname Bartsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12747th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartsch
The surname Bartsch is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 13th centuries. The name is believed to have originated in the regions of Saxony and Silesia, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time.
Bartsch is derived from the German word "Bart," which means "beard." It is likely that the surname was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had a prominent or distinctive beard. The suffix "-sch" is a common Germanization of Slavic surnames, suggesting that the name may have been adopted or influenced by the Slavic population living in those regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bartsch can be found in the Liber Feudorum Terrae Budissinensis, a 14th-century register of feudal landholdings in the area around Bautzen, Saxony. The document mentions a "Bartsch de Gladitz" in the year 1349.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Reformation-era writings of Martin Luther. One notable figure from this period is Johannes Bartsch, a German theologian and mathematician born in Nuremberg in 1553.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bartsch surname spread across different parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Some notable individuals from this time include Johann Adam Bartsch (1757-1821), a German painter and engraver, and Georg Bartsch (1768-1819), a German painter and etcher.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with individuals such as Karl Friedrich Bartsch (1779-1853), a German philologist and scholar of Germanic literature, and Johann Bartsch (1826-1888), a German botanist and bryologist.
Another significant figure was Karl Bartsch (1832-1888), a German linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Middle High German literature and language. He was born in Sprottau, Silesia, and spent much of his academic career at the University of Heidelberg.
As the Bartsch family spread throughout Europe, variations of the name emerged, such as Bartsche, Bartschke, and Bartzsch. Some places where the name was prevalent included towns and villages like Barczew in Poland (formerly Bartsch in Prussia) and Bartošovice in the Czech Republic (formerly Bartelsdorf in Austria-Hungary).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartsch 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 Bartsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,135
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 74
- Two or more races2.9% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartsch
Bartsch 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
#12,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,381
-28 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,016 places
2020
#12,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,312
-69 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,898 | 2,409 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,914 | 2,381 | 0.81 | -28 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,016 places |
| 2020 | #12,747 | 2,312 | 0.77 | -69 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 167 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 Bartsch 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 | #12,914 | #12,747 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,381 | 2,312 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.77 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartsch bearers went from 2,381 to 2,312 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,914 to #12,747.
FAQ
Bartsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartsch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,651 living Americans carry the surname Bartsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,292 residents.
How common is Bartsch?
Bartsch ranks #12,747 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,312 people with the surname Bartsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,651), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Bartsch.
Has Bartsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartsch went from 2,381 recorded bearers to 2,312. That is a decrease of 69 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,914 to #12,747.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bartsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bartsch (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 Bartsch mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a boatman, boatbuilder, or someone living near water. 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 Bartsch (0.77 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 have the last name Bartsch?
You can see how many people have the surname Bartsch on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.