2000
#11,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Becher
An occupational surname referring to a cup maker, derived from the Middle High German word "becher" meaning cup or goblet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,473 Americans carry the last name Becher. That puts it at #13,486 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Becher 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 138,599
Census rank
#13,486
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,157 bearers of the surname Becher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13486th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Becher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Becher
The surname Becher is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "becker," which means "baker." It emerged in the late medieval period as an occupational name for those who baked bread for a living.
The name is first recorded in the 13th century, appearing in various German town and village records. One of the earliest known bearers was Heinrich der Becker, mentioned in the Cologne municipal archives in 1275.
In the 14th century, the name is found in the Biberach tax rolls of 1347, which list a Cunrat Becker among the town's residents. The Becher spelling variation appears in the 1384 records of the city of Nuremberg, with the entry of a Johannes Becher.
During the 15th century, the name spread across German-speaking regions as a result of migration and trade. In 1421, a Hanns Becher is recorded as a citizen of Augsburg, while in 1489, a Hans Becher is mentioned in the records of the city of Ulm.
The Becher surname is also found in various medieval German literary works and chronicles. The 14th-century writer and poet Heinrich der Becher, born around 1300 in Meissen, is one of the earliest notable individuals with this name.
Over the centuries, several prominent figures have borne the Becher surname. Johann Joachim Becher (1635-1682) was a German physician and writer who made important contributions to the fields of chemistry and economics. Johann Philipp Becker (1809-1886) was a German revolutionary and advocate of workers' rights.
Other notable Bechers include the German poet and playwright Johannes R. Becher (1891-1958), the British chemist Sir Samuel Becher (1770-1854), and the American architect and designer Walter V. Becher (1909-1987).
As the surname spread beyond German-speaking regions, it underwent various spelling variations such as Becker, Bacher, and Bakker, reflecting local linguistic influences and adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Becher
Among Census respondents with the surname Becher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Becher 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 Becher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,993
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 77
- Two or more races2.1% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Becher
Becher 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
#12,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,496
+13 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 845 places
2020
#13,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,157
-339 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,599 | 2,483 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,444 | 2,496 | 0.85 | +13 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 845 places |
| 2020 | #13,486 | 2,157 | 0.72 | -339 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 1,042 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 Becher 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 | #12,444 | #13,486 | -8.4% |
| Count | 2,496 | 2,157 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.72 | -15.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Becher bearers went from 2,496 to 2,157 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 1,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,444 to #13,486.
FAQ
Becher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Becher?
Name Census estimates that about 2,473 living Americans carry the surname Becher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,599 residents.
How common is Becher?
Becher ranks #13,486 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 2,157 people with the surname Becher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,473), 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 Becher.
Has Becher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Becher went from 2,496 recorded bearers to 2,157. That is a decrease of 339 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,444 to #13,486.
What does the Census say about the background of Becher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Becher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Becher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,993 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Becher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Becher (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 Becher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a cup maker, derived from the Middle High German word "becher" meaning cup or goblet. 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 Becher (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 people have the last name Becher?
Want to know how common the surname Becher is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.