2000
#3,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,913
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.05
Uncommon Last name
Byrnes
An Irish surname derived from Ó Broin, meaning "descendant of Bran" (an old Celtic word for "raven").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,225 Americans carry the last name Byrnes. That puts it at #3,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,037 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Byrnes 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 Byrnes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,037
Census rank
#3,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,661 bearers of the surname Byrnes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Byrnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Byrnes
The surname Byrnes is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "O'Broin" or "O'Brain," which means "descendant of Bran." The name Bran itself is an old Irish name meaning "raven" or "crow." The Byrnes name can be traced back to the 10th century in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Galway, Clare, and Tipperary.
The earliest recorded instances of the Byrnes surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, an ancient chronicle of medieval Irish history. In these annals, the Byrnes family is mentioned as a prominent clan in Connacht and Thomond (present-day County Clare) during the 12th and 13th centuries.
One of the most notable members of the Byrnes family was Dermot O'Broin (c. 1198-1242), also known as Dermot Byrne, who was the King of Thomond from 1234 until his death in 1242. He played a significant role in the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and was involved in several battles against the Norman forces.
Another notable figure was Redmond Byrne (c. 1530-1597), a powerful chieftain of the Byrnes clan in County Clare. He was involved in the Desmond Rebellions against English rule in Ireland and was eventually captured and executed in 1597.
In the 16th century, the Byrnes family was also associated with the area of Galmoy in County Kilkenny, where they held lands and positions of power. One prominent member from this branch was Sir John Byrne (c. 1570-1642), who served as a judge and was knighted by King James I.
The Byrnes surname can also be found in various historical records, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which documented land grants and other legal transactions in Ireland during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Other notable individuals with the Byrnes surname include William Byrne (1776-1862), an Irish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Dublin, and John Byrne (1786-1847), an Irish painter known for his portraits and religious works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Byrnes
Among Census respondents with the surname Byrnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Byrnes 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 Byrnes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 9,816
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 363
- Two or more races2.8% · 301
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 82
- Black or African American0.6% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Byrnes
Byrnes 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
#3,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,039
+126 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 3.74
Rank movement Down 225 places
2020
#3,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,661
-378 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,046 | 10,913 | 4.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,271 | 11,039 | 3.74 | +126 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 225 places |
| 2020 | #3,312 | 10,661 | 3.57 | -378 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 41 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 Byrnes 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 | #3,271 | #3,312 | -1.3% |
| Count | 11,039 | 10,661 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.74 | 3.57 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Byrnes bearers went from 11,039 to 10,661 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,271 to #3,312.
FAQ
Byrnes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Byrnes?
Name Census estimates that about 12,225 living Americans carry the surname Byrnes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,037 residents.
How common is Byrnes?
Byrnes ranks #3,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,661 people with the surname Byrnes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,225), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Byrnes.
Has Byrnes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Byrnes went from 11,039 recorded bearers to 10,661. That is a decrease of 378 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,271 to #3,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Byrnes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Byrnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Byrnes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (9,816 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Byrnes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Byrnes (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 Byrnes mean?
An Irish surname derived from Ó Broin, meaning "descendant of Bran" (an old Celtic word for "raven"). 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 Byrnes (3.57 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 Byrnes?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Byrnes is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.