2000
#8,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,671
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Behr
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with bears.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,078 Americans carry the last name Behr. That puts it at #8,842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Behr 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Behr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,050
Census rank
#8,842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,556 bearers of the surname Behr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Behr, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Behr
The surname BEHR is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "bero," meaning "bear," suggesting that the name may have initially been used as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who possessed bear-like qualities or lived in an area populated by bears.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BEHR surname can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus," a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Bero de Velwen" in 1184, suggesting that the BEHR surname may have been in use as early as the 12th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the BEHR surname appeared in various historical records across various regions of Germany, including the "Traditiones Fuldenses" from the Fulda Abbey and the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae" from Saxony. These records often mentioned individuals with the BEHR surname in connection with land ownership and legal transactions.
One notable historical figure bearing the BEHR surname was Johann Balthasar Behr (1675-1738), a German lawyer and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Imperial Chamber Court of the Holy Roman Empire. His influential work, "De Jure Principis Civitatis Evangelicae," published in 1717, addressed legal issues concerning Protestant territories within the Holy Roman Empire.
In the realm of art, the BEHR surname is associated with the German painter and engraver Joachim Franz Behr (1639-1698), known for his religious and allegorical works. His engravings and etchings, such as "The Crucifixion" and "The Life of the Virgin Mary," are highly regarded and can be found in various art collections around the world.
Another notable figure was the German botanist and entomologist Wilhelm Behr (1775-1853), who made significant contributions to the study of insects and plants. He was involved in the exploration and documentation of the natural flora and fauna of Russia and is credited with discovering several new species of insects.
In the 19th century, the BEHR surname gained prominence in the United States, particularly in Texas. One notable individual was Herman Behr (1819-1904), a German-American entomologist who extensively studied the insect life of California and was instrumental in establishing the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
Throughout history, the BEHR surname has been associated with various variations and spellings, such as Behr, Beehr, Bere, and Bere, reflecting regional dialects and language variations within Germany and other parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Behr
Among Census respondents with the surname Behr, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Behr 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 Behr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 3,306
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 103
- Two or more races2.8% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 30
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Behr
Behr 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
#8,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,795
+124 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 359 places
2020
#8,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,556
-239 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,300 | 3,671 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,659 | 3,795 | 1.29 | +124 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 359 places |
| 2020 | #8,842 | 3,556 | 1.19 | -239 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 183 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 Behr 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 | #8,659 | #8,842 | -2.1% |
| Count | 3,795 | 3,556 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.19 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Behr bearers went from 3,795 to 3,556 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 183 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,659 to #8,842.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Behr
FAQ
Behr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Behr?
Name Census estimates that about 4,078 living Americans carry the surname Behr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,050 residents.
How common is Behr?
Behr ranks #8,842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,556 people with the surname Behr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,078), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Behr.
Has Behr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Behr went from 3,795 recorded bearers to 3,556. That is a decrease of 239 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,659 to #8,842.
What does the Census say about the background of Behr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Behr, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Behr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (3,306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Behr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Behr (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 Behr mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with bears. 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 Behr (1.19 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 are called Behr?
See how many people have the last name Behr on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.