2000
#14,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,830
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Behrends
An occupational surname meaning "truck driver" or "carter" in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,096 Americans carry the last name Behrends. That puts it at #15,443 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,528 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Behrends 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
2.1K
1 in 163,528
Census rank
#15,443
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,828 bearers of the surname Behrends in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15443rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Behrends, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Behrends
The surname BEHRENDS is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the early 16th century. The name is derived from the combination of two Old German words, "bere" meaning "bear" and "hund" meaning "hound." It likely referred to a hunter or a person associated with bear hunting or handling bear hounds.
In its earliest recorded form, the surname was spelled "Beerenhund" or "Berenhund," which directly translates to "bear hound." Over time, the spelling evolved to the more modern "BEHRENDS" as it is known today. The name was primarily concentrated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas like Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the BEHRENDS name can be found in the parish records of the town of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, dating back to the late 16th century. These records document the births, marriages, and deaths of several individuals bearing the BEHRENDS surname during that period.
Throughout history, the BEHRENDS name has been associated with notable individuals in various fields. One such individual was Johann Friedrich BEHRENDS (1738-1809), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Helmstedt. Another notable figure was Karl Friedrich BEHRENDS (1733-1809), a German jurist and author who wrote extensively on legal matters.
In the 19th century, the BEHRENDS name gained prominence with the birth of August BEHRENDS (1839-1900), a German-American businessman and philanthropist. He emigrated to the United States in the 1860s and made a fortune in the tobacco industry. August BEHRENDS is remembered for his generous contributions to educational institutions and charitable organizations.
Another notable individual with the BEHRENDS surname was Bernhard BEHRENDS (1865-1944), a German architect and urban planner. He was instrumental in the development of several residential and commercial projects in Berlin during the early 20th century.
Furthermore, the BEHRENDS name has been associated with several place names throughout Germany, such as Behrendsdorf, a village in Schleswig-Holstein, and Behrendsmühlen, a municipality in Lower Saxony. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the BEHRENDS surname who settled or held influential positions in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Behrends
Among Census respondents with the surname Behrends, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Behrends 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 Behrends surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 1,727
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 42
- Two or more races2.1% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Behrends
Behrends 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
#15,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,870
+40 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 776 places
2020
#15,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,828
-42 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,849 | 1,830 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,625 | 1,870 | 0.63 | +40 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 776 places |
| 2020 | #15,443 | 1,828 | 0.61 | -42 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 182 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 Behrends 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 | #15,625 | #15,443 | 1.2% |
| Count | 1,870 | 1,828 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.61 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Behrends bearers went from 1,870 to 1,828 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,625 to #15,443.
FAQ
Behrends surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Behrends?
Name Census estimates that about 2,096 living Americans carry the surname Behrends. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,528 residents.
How common is Behrends?
Behrends ranks #15,443 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,828 people with the surname Behrends. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,096), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Behrends.
Has Behrends become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Behrends went from 1,870 recorded bearers to 1,828. That is a decrease of 42 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,625 to #15,443.
What does the Census say about the background of Behrends?
Among Census respondents with the surname Behrends, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) 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 Behrends in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (1,727 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Behrends appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.3%), 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 Behrends (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 Behrends mean?
An occupational surname meaning "truck driver" or "carter" in German. 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 Behrends (0.61 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 Behrends?
Want to know how many people have the surname Behrends? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.