Berek
Of Slavic origin, a diminutive form meaning "little bear".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Berek. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Berek today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Berek births was 1984 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Berek. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Berek. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1984
5 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1984 SSA rank
#6,420
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Berek: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Berek 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 Berek during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Berek
The name Berek is believed to have its origins in the ancient Turkic languages, specifically the Chuvash language spoken in parts of Russia. It is derived from the Chuvash word "perek," which means "gift" or "blessing." The name can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 7th to 8th centuries AD, when the Chuvash people inhabited the region known as Volga Bulgaria, located in present-day Russia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berek can be found in the Orkhon inscriptions, a collection of ancient Turkic runic inscriptions dating back to the 8th century AD. These inscriptions were discovered in the Orkhon Valley of Mongolia and provide valuable insights into the history and culture of the early Turkic peoples.
In the 10th century, a Volga Bulgarian ruler named Berek (or Barak) is mentioned in the writings of the Arabian traveler and geographer, Ibn Fadlan. Ibn Fadlan's account describes Berek as a powerful leader who ruled over the Volga Bulgars and maintained close ties with the neighboring Khazars.
During the 13th century, a Mongol military commander named Berekeh (or Berke) Khan played a significant role in the expansion of the Mongol Empire. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan and served as the ruler of the Golden Horde, a Mongol khanate that controlled vast territories in Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Another notable figure in history with the name Berek was Berek Bey, a 14th-century Ottoman statesman and military commander. He served under Sultan Murad I and played a crucial role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia and the Balkans.
In the 15th century, Berek Pasha, an Ottoman grand vizier, held a prominent position in the Ottoman government during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror. He was a skilled military commander and is credited with leading successful campaigns in the Balkans and Anatolia.
Throughout history, the name Berek has been associated with various cultures and regions, reflecting the spread and influence of the Turkic peoples. While its origins can be traced back to the ancient Chuvash language, the name has been adopted and adapted by other Turkic communities, as well as neighboring cultures, ensuring its enduring presence across generations.
People
Berek + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Berek 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
Berek: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Berek?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Berek 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Berek a common name?
We classify Berek as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% 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 Berek most popular?
The single biggest year for Berek was 1984, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Berek is about 40 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 Berek in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Berek a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Berek 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 Berek still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Berek 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 Berek 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 Berek?
See how many people share the name Berek on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.