Berchman
An Old German masculine name meaning "bright" or "famous raven".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Berchman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Berchman today is around 127 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Berchman births was 1937 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Berchman. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Berchman is about 127 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Berchmans were born before 1909.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Berchman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1937
5 babies that year
Average age
127
years old
1937 SSA rank
#3,572
Tracked since 1937
Popularity
Berchman: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Berchman by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Berchman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Berchman
The name Berchman has its origins in the Low German language and is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in the areas that are now part of present-day Netherlands and northern Germany. The name is derived from the Germanic elements "berht," meaning bright or shining, and "man," which refers to a man or person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berchman can be found in the Catholic tradition, where it was borne by Saint John Berchmans (1599-1621), a Jesuit scholastic from Belgium who was known for his piety and devotion to the Virgin Mary. He was canonized in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII.
Another notable figure with the name Berchman was Berchman Wichers (1679-1749), a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in genre scenes and portraits. He was born in Utrecht and is remembered for his attention to detail and realistic depictions of everyday life in the Netherlands during the 17th century.
In the 19th century, Berchman Sturm (1845-1923) was a German Catholic priest and historian who served as the rector of the University of Freiburg. He authored several works on the history of the Catholic Church and the role of Jesuits in Europe.
Another individual of note was Berchman Streitoverius (1512-1584), a German Benedictine monk and theologian who was a prominent figure during the Counter-Reformation. He wrote extensively on theological matters and played a crucial role in defending Catholic doctrine against the challenges posed by the Protestant Reformation.
Finally, Berchman von Kronau (1806-1881) was a German military officer who served in the Prussian Army during the 19th century. He is remembered for his participation in the Prussian campaigns against Denmark and Austria, as well as his later involvement in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.
People
Berchman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Berchman as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Berchman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Berchman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Berchman going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Berchman a common name?
We classify Berchman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Berchman most popular?
The single biggest year for Berchman was 1937, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Berchman is about 127 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Berchman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Berchman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Berchman in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Berchman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Berchman in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Berchman can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Berchman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.