2000
#13,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Bartelt
A German occupational surname referring to a woodcutter or someone who fells trees with an axe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,457 Americans carry the last name Bartelt. That puts it at #13,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bartelt surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,501
Census rank
#13,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,143 bearers of the surname Bartelt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bartelt
The surname Bartelt is of German origin, derived from the personal name Barthold or Barthold, which itself is a compound of the elements "bard" meaning "battle" or "bear," and "hold" meaning "brave" or "strong." The name first emerged in the Middle Ages, likely in the northern regions of Germany.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Bartelt can be found in the records of the town of Lübeck, in northern Germany, where a certain Bartelt von der Leyten is mentioned in the year 1298. This suggests that the name was already well-established in this area by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Bartelt name appears in various manuscripts and chronicles, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Mecklenburg. For example, a Bartelt Knüttel is recorded as a landowner in the village of Schönberg, Mecklenburg, in 1372.
The earliest known bearer of the Bartelt surname was likely a resident of the town of Bartelt, located in the Rhineland region of western Germany. This place name, first documented in the 11th century, may have influenced the development of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt names based on their place of origin or residence.
One notable historical figure with the Bartelt surname was Hans Bartelt (c. 1525-1598), a German painter and engraver who was active in the city of Nuremberg during the Renaissance. His works, including religious paintings and intricate copper engravings, can still be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
Another individual of note was Johann Bartelt (1677-1733), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. He was renowned for his instrumental compositions, particularly his concertos and sonatas for various instruments.
In the 19th century, Karl Bartelt (1815-1887) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Berlin, including the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) and the Königliche Bibliothek (Royal Library).
The name Bartelt has also been associated with various places and locations throughout Germany. For instance, the village of Bartelsdorf in Saxony-Anhalt was likely named after an early settler or landowner with the Bartelt surname.
While the Bartelt name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, its origins and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the medieval period in northern and central Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bartelt
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bartelt bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bartelt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 2,035
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 50
- Two or more races1.9% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bartelt
Bartelt appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,254
+116 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 371 places
2020
#13,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,143
-111 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,112 | 2,138 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,483 | 2,254 | 0.76 | +116 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 371 places |
| 2020 | #13,558 | 2,143 | 0.72 | -111 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 75 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bartelt surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,483 | #13,558 | -0.6% |
| Count | 2,254 | 2,143 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.72 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bartelt bearers went from 2,254 to 2,143 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,483 to #13,558.
FAQ
Bartelt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bartelt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,457 living Americans carry the surname Bartelt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,501 residents.
How common is Bartelt?
Bartelt ranks #13,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,143 people with the surname Bartelt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,457), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bartelt.
Has Bartelt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bartelt went from 2,254 recorded bearers to 2,143. That is a decrease of 111 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,483 to #13,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Bartelt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bartelt, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bartelt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (2,035 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bartelt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bartelt (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bartelt mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a woodcutter or someone who fells trees with an axe. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bartelt (0.72 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Bartelt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.