The Bahr surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,731 people carried this name — #4,589 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 38,200 people counted. That is up 2% from 7,610 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Bahr surname
From Bär (“bear”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bahr» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
123 people named Bahr live in Switzerland.
They live in 9 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
91 people named Bahr have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 148 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Pomeranian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 87 people named Bahr.
26 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 13 départements, most often Moselle.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 32 people named Bahr live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Misiones.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
85 people named Bahr is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Bahr in American newspapers,
1882–1915.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 31,414 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Bahr,
with a public archive behind them.
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Benedikt Bahr 1650–1670 · pedagogue -
Johann Friedrich Bahr 1805–1875 · writer -
Max Bahr 1848–1930 · politician -
Szymon Bahr 1543–1606 · businessperson
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Lina Bahr 1823–1898 · photographer
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Alois Bahr 1834–1898 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Bahr.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Bahr is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.