2000
#12,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,185
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Behrendt
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "bear-strong" or "hardy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,335 Americans carry the last name Behrendt. That puts it at #14,159 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,790 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Behrendt 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
2.3K
1 in 146,790
Census rank
#14,159
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,036 bearers of the surname Behrendt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14159th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Behrendt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Behrendt
The surname Behrendt is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Low German word "bere," meaning bear, and the suffix "-endt," which indicates a location or place of origin. Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a bear's den or a place associated with bears.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of northern Germany, particularly in the areas around present-day Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Brandenburg. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hinrich Behrendt, a landowner mentioned in the records of the city of Lübeck in 1289.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Bernd, Berndt, and Berendt, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. Several place names in Germany, such as Behrendorf and Behrensdorf, also derive from the same root, indicating the name's connection to specific locations.
During the Middle Ages, the Behrendt family played a significant role in the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. One notable member was Hans Behrendt (1430-1492), a successful merchant and ship owner based in Lübeck, who contributed to the league's prosperity.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the rise of the Protestant Reformation. Johannes Behrendt (1510-1572) was a prominent Lutheran theologian and reformer who served as the rector of the University of Rostock and played a crucial role in establishing Protestantism in the region.
Another notable figure was Zacharias Behrendt (1620-1688), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. His compositions, particularly his church music, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, Carl Behrendt (1745-1815) was a German architect and urban planner who contributed to the development of several cities in Prussia, including the reconstruction of Berlin after the devastating fires of 1787.
The 19th century saw the rise of several prominent figures with the Behrendt surname, such as Max Behrendt (1825-1897), a German linguist and philologist who specialized in Slavic languages and made significant contributions to the field of comparative linguistics.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the Behrendt surname who have left their mark throughout history. The name's origins and evolution reflect the rich cultural heritage of northern Germany and the significant roles played by its bearers in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Behrendt
Among Census respondents with the surname Behrendt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Behrendt 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 Behrendt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,860
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 78
- Two or more races3.3% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Behrendt
Behrendt 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
#13,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,177
-8 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 972 places
2020
#14,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,036
-141 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,902 | 2,185 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,874 | 2,177 | 0.74 | -8 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 972 places |
| 2020 | #14,159 | 2,036 | 0.68 | -141 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 285 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 Behrendt 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 | #13,874 | #14,159 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,177 | 2,036 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.68 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Behrendt bearers went from 2,177 to 2,036 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 285 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,874 to #14,159.
FAQ
Behrendt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Behrendt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,335 living Americans carry the surname Behrendt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,790 residents.
How common is Behrendt?
Behrendt ranks #14,159 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,036 people with the surname Behrendt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,335), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Behrendt.
Has Behrendt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Behrendt went from 2,177 recorded bearers to 2,036. That is a decrease of 141 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,874 to #14,159.
What does the Census say about the background of Behrendt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Behrendt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Behrendt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Behrendt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Behrendt (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 Behrendt mean?
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "bear-strong" or "hardy." 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 Behrendt (0.68 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 Behrendt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.