# Barlow (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/barlow/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A habitational surname from Old English originating from one of these villages.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 33,335 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,047 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 9,262 people |
| Change since 2000 | +8.4% (30,749 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /bɑɹloʊ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Barlowe |

## Etymology

From Old English bere (“barley”) + hlǣw (“hill”) or lēah (“wood, clearing”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Barlow in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 81% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 13% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.2% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Barlow in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Barlow

- John Perry Barlow, American poet and essayist (1947–2018)
- Joel Barlow, American poet, diplomat, politician and businessman (1754–1812)
- Matt Barlow, American heavy metal singer
- Lou Barlow, American musician (born 1966)
- David Barlow, Australian basketball player (born 1983)
- Helena Barlow, British actress
- Reginald Barlow, actor (1866-1943)
- R. H. Barlow, American anthropologist (1918–1951)
- Aidan Barlow, association football player (born 2000)
- Phyllida Barlow, British artist (1944–2023)
- Eric Barlow, American politician
- Clarence Barlow, British composer (1945–2023)

and 8 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Barela, Barley, Baril, Barile, Barrell, Burrell, Brill, Burley, Burwell, Berryhill, Byerly, Briley.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.