2000
#48,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 414
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Rare Last name
Barua
A surname of Arabic origin meaning letter or document.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,367 Americans carry the last name Barua. That puts it at #13,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Barua 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 Barua with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,805
Census rank
#13,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,064 bearers of the surname Barua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Barua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and White (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 Some historical references suggest that the name was associated with the educated class and those who worked as scribes or secretaries in the courts of kings and noblemen.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Barua
Among Census respondents with the surname Barua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and White (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Barua 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 Barua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.3% · 1,925
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 47
- White2.1% · 44
- Two or more races1.4% · 28
- Black or African American0.9% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Barua
Barua 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
#24,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,017
+603 bearers (+145.7%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 23,449 places
2020
#13,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,064
+1,047 bearers (+102.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 10,580 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,021 | 414 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,572 | 1,017 | 0.34 | +603 bearers (+145.7%) | Up 23,449 places |
| 2020 | #13,992 | 2,064 | 0.69 | +1,047 bearers (+102.9%) | Up 10,580 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 Barua 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 | #24,572 | #13,992 | 43.1% |
| Count | 1,017 | 2,064 | 102.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.69 | 103.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Barua bearers went from 1,017 to 2,064 (+102.9% change). The surname moved up 10,580 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,572 to #13,992.
FAQ
Barua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Barua?
Name Census estimates that about 2,367 living Americans carry the surname Barua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,805 residents.
How common is Barua?
Barua ranks #13,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,064 people with the surname Barua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,367), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Barua.
Has Barua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Barua went from 1,017 recorded bearers to 2,064. That is an increase of 1,047 (+102.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,572 to #13,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Barua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Barua, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and White (2.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Barua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,925 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Barua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.3%), Hispanic (2.3%), White (2.1%). 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 Barua (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 Barua mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning letter or document. 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 Barua (0.69 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 Barua?
You can see how many people have the surname Barua on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.