Bertice
A feminine name derived from Bertram, of Germanic origin meaning "bright raven".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Bertice. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 79.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Bertice today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bertice births was 1914 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bertice. 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 Bertice is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bertices were born before 1967.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bertice. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1914
17 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1945 SSA rank
#3,377
Tracked since 1904
Census
Bertice in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 97 people with the first name Bertice, which placed it at #53,534 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#53,534
National first-name rank
People counted
97
97 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
60.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bertice
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bertice is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Hispanic (6.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bertice described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Bertice at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.8% · 59
- Black or African American27.8% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 6
- Two or more races5.2% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Bertice
Bertice is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 219 total registrations, 44 (20.1%) were male and 175 (79.9%) were female.
Bertice as a male name
- Ranked #3,377 in 1945
- 5 male births in 1945
- Peak: 1914 (6 births)
Bertice as a female name
- Ranked #11,951 in 1994
- 6 female births in 1994
- Peak: 1914 (11 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Bertice on both sides of the split. Of the 100 people counted with this name, 36 were male (36.0%) and 64 were female (64.0%).
Popularity
Bertice: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bertice from the 1900s through to the 1990s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 94 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
Bertice 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 Bertice during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bertices live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bertice
The name Bertice is a unique and intriguing one, with a rich history that spans across various cultures and civilizations. Its origins can be traced back to the Old High German language, where it was derived from the elements "beraht" meaning "bright" and "rīc" meaning "powerful" or "ruler." This combination suggests that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals who possessed a radiant presence and held positions of authority.
During the Middle Ages, the name gained popularity across Germanic regions, particularly in areas now known as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was often associated with nobility and those of high social standing. In the 9th century, a notable figure bearing the name Bertice was a Frankish nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the expansion of the Carolingian Empire under Charlemagne.
As the name spread throughout Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Bertiz, Bertyce, and Bertitza. In the 12th century, a renowned Benedictine abbess named Bertice of Bingen was celebrated for her scholarly contributions to music, philosophy, and the sciences. Her influence and teachings left a lasting impact on the intellectual and spiritual realms of the time.
In the 15th century, records indicate the existence of a Bertice von Habsburg, a member of the influential Habsburg dynasty that ruled over vast territories in Central and Eastern Europe. Her life and achievements, however, remain shrouded in mystery, adding an air of intrigue to the name's legacy.
Fast forward to the 17th century, and we encounter Bertice Wollstonecraft, a lesser-known sister of the famous feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft. While her contributions were overshadowed by her sibling's fame, Bertice was an accomplished writer and advocate for women's rights in her own right.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Bertice Beaumont, a 19th-century British explorer and naturalist. Her expeditions to remote regions of South America and Africa contributed significantly to the study of flora and fauna, and her detailed accounts of her travels captivated readers of the era.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the name Bertice throughout history, each leaving their unique mark on the world in their own way. While the name may be less common today, its rich heritage and connotations of brilliance and power continue to resonate, making it a truly remarkable and timeless choice.
People
Bertice + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bertice 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
Bertice: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bertice?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bertice 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Bertice a common name?
We classify Bertice as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 219 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bertice most popular?
The single biggest year for Bertice was 1914, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bertice is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Bertice in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 97 people with the name Bertice, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,534 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Bertice in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bertice?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Bertice on both sides of the split. Of the 100 people counted with this name, 36 were male (36.0%) and 64 were female (64.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bertice?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bertice is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.8%) and Hispanic (6.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Bertice most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Bertice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.8% (59 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Bertice in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bertice a female name?
Yes, 79.9% of people registered as Bertice 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 Bertice still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bertice 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 Bertice 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.
How many people are named Bertice?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.