Barua last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Barua is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Barua.

Meaning of Barua

A surname of Arabic origin meaning letter or document.

Barua, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Barua surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Barua in America

Barua is the 24572nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Barua surname appeared 1,017 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Barua.

We can also compare 2010 data for Barua to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 24572 48021 -64.60%
Count 1,017 414 84.28%
Proportion per 100k 0.34 0.15 77.55%

The history of the last name Barua

The surname BARUA is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the region of Bengal. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "varua," which means "scribe" or "writer." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been involved in professions related to writing or record-keeping.

The BARUA surname can be traced back to the medieval period in Bengal, which was a prominent center of learning and culture during that time. Some historical references suggest that the name was associated with the educated class and those who worked as scribes or secretaries in the courts of kings and noblemen.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BARUA surname can be found in a manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a scribe named Govinda BARUA who was employed in the court of a local ruler. Another notable figure from this period is Mahendra BARUA, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the 14th century and whose works are still studied today.

During the Mughal period in India, which spanned from the 16th to the 18th centuries, the BARUA surname became more widespread as many families took up clerical and administrative roles in the expanding bureaucracy of the empire. Several members of the BARUA clan are mentioned in official records and chronicles from this era.

In the 19th century, the BARUA surname gained prominence in the field of education and academia. One notable figure was Kali Prasanna BARUA (1832-1901), a renowned educator and social reformer who established several schools and colleges in Bengal. Another prominent individual was Ramendra Sundar BARUA (1846-1906), a highly respected scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Bengali literature.

As the BARUA surname spread across India, it also found its way to other parts of the subcontinent, including present-day Bangladesh and Pakistan. In the 20th century, several BARUA families established themselves in various professions, including law, medicine, and politics. For example, Anup BARUA (1919-2002) was a distinguished lawyer and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Assam, a state in northeastern India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Barua

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Barua.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Barua was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 2.75% 28
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 91.05% 926
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.65% 27
Hispanic Origin 2.85% 29

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Barua has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 2.75% 5.07% -59.34%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 91.05% 80.19% 12.68%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.65% 9.66% -113.89%
Hispanic 2.85% 4.59% -46.77%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Barua was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Barua, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Barua last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/barua-surname-popularity/.

"Barua last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/barua-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 October, 2024

Barua last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/barua-surname-popularity/.

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