Explore the Family Name Barney
The meaning of Barney
1. English: habitational name from Barney in Norfolk, which is probably named with an Old English personal name Bera (with genitive -n) + Old English ēg ‘island, dry ground in a marsh’. 2. English: from the personal name Barney, a pet form of Bernard. 3. Scottish: possibly from the Old Norse personal name Bjarni (from bjǫrn ‘bear’). 4. In some cases also an Americanized form of French Bernier. History: William Barney from England came to Baltimore County, MD, c.1695. Joshua Barney, born in that county in 1759, was an outstanding naval officer during the War of 1812.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Barney in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Barney has seen a modest change in recent years. In 2000, Barney ranked 2,144th most common surname, with a count of 15,556 or 5.77 per 100,000 people having this surname. By 2010, the ranking had slightly decreased to 2,224; however, the number of people with the Barney surname increased to 16,404, or 5.56 per 100,000 people. This represents a growth of 5.45% over the decade, even though the proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 3.64%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,144 | #2,224 | -3.73% |
| Count | 15,556 | 16,404 | 5.45% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.77 | 5.56 | -3.64% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Barney
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Barney also underwent some changes between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of people with the Barney surname who identify as White decreased from 80.19% in 2000 to 78.5% in 2010. The proportion of those identifying as Black remained relatively stable, decreasing slightly from 12.72% to 12.61%. There was a noticeable increase in the number of people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.45% to 0.66%) and Hispanic (from 1.9% to 2.87%). Additionally, those reporting two or more races increased from 1.53% to 2.12%, while the proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Native held steady, increasing slightly from 3.21% to 3.26%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 80.19% | 78.5% | -2.11% |
| Black | 12.72% | 12.61% | -0.86% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 3.21% | 3.26% | 1.56% |
| Hispanic | 1.9% | 2.87% | 51.05% |
| Two or More Races | 1.53% | 2.12% | 38.56% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.45% | 0.66% | 46.67% |
Barney ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Barney is British & Irish, which comprises 46.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.3%) and Scandinavian (6.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 46.3% |
| French & German | 25.3% |
| Scandinavian | 6.3% |
| Other | 22.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Barney
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Barney have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 83.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 83.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 83.70% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 83.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 83.10% |
What Barney haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Barney is I-L233, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L233 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-Z209 and I-M438, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mead, Gilman, Huntley, Criswell, Caron, Hilton, Gilpin, Tallent, Lindsay, Terry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Barney surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Barney have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Barney" Surname 44.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Barney" Surname 23.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Barney" Surname 23.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Barney" Surname 20.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Barney?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Barney are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition