2000
#10,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,840
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Behling
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "behaim," meaning "Bohemian," referring to someone from Bohemia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,004 Americans carry the last name Behling. That puts it at #11,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Behling 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
3.0K
1 in 114,099
Census rank
#11,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,620 bearers of the surname Behling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Behling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Behling
The surname Behling originated in Germany, likely emerging in the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "behlen," which means "to live" or "to dwell." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in a particular place or region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the city of Erfurt, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. In a document from 1492, a person named Hans Behling is mentioned as a resident of the city. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 15th century.
The name Behling also appears in various historical records and manuscripts from different parts of Germany. For example, in the 17th century, a family with the surname Behling is documented as living in the town of Eisenach, which is also located in Thuringia.
One notable individual with the surname Behling was Johann Friedrich Behling, a German theologian and author who lived from 1667 to 1737. He was born in the town of Königsberg, which was then part of the Duchy of Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). Behling wrote several religious works and served as a pastor in various churches throughout his life.
Another significant figure was Johann Gottfried Behling, a German composer and organist who lived from 1735 to 1797. He was born in Dresden, Saxony, and is known for his contributions to church music and organ compositions.
In the 19th century, Carl Behling (1812-1874) was a German artist and painter from Berlin. He specialized in landscape paintings and is known for his depictions of rural scenes and natural environments.
Friedrich Behling (1828-1909) was a German architect who worked primarily in the city of Berlin. He designed several notable buildings, including the Prussian House of Representatives (Preußisches Abgeordnetenhaus) and the Neue Synagoge, one of the largest synagogues in Berlin at the time.
Finally, Ernst Behling (1892-1975) was a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of cities after World War II. He was involved in the planning and development of several cities, including Frankfurt am Main and Kassel.
These examples demonstrate that the surname Behling has been present in Germany for several centuries and has been associated with individuals from various professions and backgrounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Behling
Among Census respondents with the surname Behling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Behling 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 Behling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 2,341
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 85
- Black or African American3.2% · 83
- Two or more races3.0% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Behling
Behling 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
#11,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,765
-75 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 1,004 places
2020
#11,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,620
-145 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,400 | 2,840 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,404 | 2,765 | 0.94 | -75 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,004 places |
| 2020 | #11,492 | 2,620 | 0.88 | -145 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 88 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 Behling 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 | #11,404 | #11,492 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,765 | 2,620 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.88 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Behling bearers went from 2,765 to 2,620 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,404 to #11,492.
FAQ
Behling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Behling?
Name Census estimates that about 3,004 living Americans carry the surname Behling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,099 residents.
How common is Behling?
Behling ranks #11,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,620 people with the surname Behling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,004), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Behling.
Has Behling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Behling went from 2,765 recorded bearers to 2,620. That is a decrease of 145 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,404 to #11,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Behling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Behling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Behling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,341 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Behling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (3.2%), Black (3.2%). 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 Behling (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 Behling mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "behaim," meaning "Bohemian," referring to someone from Bohemia. 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 Behling (0.88 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 common is the surname Behling?
You can see how common the surname Behling is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.