Berthel
A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "bright wolf" or "descendant of the bright one".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Berthel. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 67.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Berthel today is around 99 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Berthel births was 1915 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Berthel. 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 Berthel is about 99 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Berthels were born before 1937.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Berthel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1915
12 babies that year
Average age
99
years old
1933 SSA rank
#3,697
Tracked since 1913
Gender
Gender distribution for Berthel
Berthel is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 93 total registrations, 63 (67.7%) were male and 30 (32.3%) were female.
Berthel as a male name
- Ranked #3,697 in 1933
- 5 male births in 1933
- Peak: 1919 (9 births)
Berthel as a female name
- Ranked #4,090 in 1930
- 6 female births in 1930
- Peak: 1915 (6 births)
Popularity
Berthel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Berthel from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 53 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Berthel 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 Berthel 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 Berthel
The name Berthel has its origins in the Germanic languages, specifically derived from the Old German words "beraht" meaning "bright" and "wald" meaning "ruler" or "leader". It is a masculine given name that was first used in the early medieval period across various regions of Europe where Germanic tribes had settled, including parts of modern-day Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berthel can be found in the Frankish Annals, a historical chronicle from the late 8th century AD, which mentions a nobleman by the name of Berthel who served as a advisor to Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine monk named Berthel of Reichenau became a prominent scholar and writer, known for his works on astronomy and mathematics. He lived from around 1030 to 1088 and was based at the Reichenau Abbey in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Another notable figure with the name Berthel was Berthel Schwartz, a German monk and alchemist who is credited with the invention of gunpowder in the early 14th century. Schwartz lived from around 1310 to 1384 and his work with explosive mixtures played a significant role in the development of early firearms and artillery.
In the 15th century, Berthel Buchdrucker, a German printer and publisher, was among the pioneers of the early printing press in Europe. He was active in the city of Erfurt, Germany, between the years 1458 and 1489, and contributed to the spread of printed books and literature during the Renaissance period.
Moving into the 16th century, Berthel Thorvaldsen was a renowned Danish sculptor who lived from 1770 to 1844. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential neoclassical artists of his time and created numerous iconic works, including the Christ and the Twelve Apostles sculpture series for the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen.
While the name Berthel has its roots in Germanic languages, it has also been used in various other cultures and regions over time, sometimes with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. However, its historical origins and earliest recorded uses can be traced back to the Germanic tribes of medieval Europe.
People
Berthel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Berthel 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
Berthel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Berthel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Berthel 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Berthel a common name?
We classify Berthel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 93 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Berthel most popular?
The single biggest year for Berthel was 1915, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Berthel is about 99 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 Berthel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Berthel a male name?
Yes, 67.7% of people registered as Berthel 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 Berthel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Berthel 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 Berthel 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 Berthel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.