Berte
A French feminine name derived from an Old German element meaning "bright" or "illustrious".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Berte. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Berte today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Berte births was 1894 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Berte. 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 Berte. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1894
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1914 SSA rank
#3,687
Tracked since 1894
Popularity
Berte: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Berte from the 1890s through to the 1910s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Berte 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 Berte during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Berte
The given name Berte originated from the Germanic language group, deriving from the Proto-Germanic word 'berahtoz', meaning 'bright' or 'shining'. This name gained popularity during the Middle Ages across various regions of Europe where Germanic tribes settled.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Berte can be traced back to the 6th century, when it appeared in the Frankish chronicle known as the Gesta Regum Francorum. This text mentions a Frankish queen named Berte, wife of King Charibert I, who ruled in the 6th century AD.
In the 8th century, the name gained further prominence with the legendary figure of Berte aux Grands Pieds (Berte of the Big Feet), a character from French folklore. According to the legend, she was the mother of Charlemagne, the renowned Frankish king and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Berte was Berte de Laon (c. 835-c. 920), a Carolingian noblewoman and the wife of Girart, Count of Vienne. Her life and deeds were chronicled in the Old French epic poem Girart de Roussillon, composed in the late 12th century.
Another notable bearer of the name was Berte de Hollande (c. 1055-1094), a Countess of Holland and the wife of Robert I, Count of Flanders. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the Low Countries during the late 11th century.
In the 12th century, the name Berte was borne by Berte de Sulzbach (c. 1110-1159), a member of the House of Sulzbach and the wife of Welf VI, Duke of Spoleto. She was a prominent figure in the Welf dynasty and served as regent for her son during his minority.
Over the centuries, the name Berte has been used across various European regions, particularly in France, Germany, and the Low Countries, often associated with nobility and historical figures. While its popularity has waned in modern times, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of the Germanic linguistic tradition.
People
Berte + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Berte 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
Berte: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Berte?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Berte 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 - US residents.
Is Berte a common name?
We classify Berte as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Berte most popular?
The single biggest year for Berte was 1894, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Berte is about 0 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 Berte in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Berte a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Berte in the SSA data are female. 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 Berte still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Berte 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 Berte 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 people are named Berte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.