2000
#821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,464
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.26
Uncommon Last name
Bender
An occupational surname referring to a cooper or barrel maker, derived from the Middle High German word "büttner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,811 Americans carry the last name Bender. That puts it at #900 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bender 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 Bender with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,823
Census rank
#900
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,205 bearers of the surname Bender in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 900th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bender, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bender
The surname Bender is of German origin and is derived from the occupational surname 'Binder', which referred to a person who made or repaired baskets, barrels, and other woven objects. It is believed to have emerged in the 14th century and was initially used as a descriptive term for an individual's trade or profession.
In the early days, the name was predominantly found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where basket-weaving and coopering were common trades. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 15th century, with variations such as Bender, Binder, and Bynder appearing in various historical documents.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bender can be found in the Stadtbücher (town books) of Nürnberg, dating back to the 1400s. These records document individuals engaged in basket-weaving and coopering, suggesting the occupational origins of the surname.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Bender include Johann Bender (1516-1589), a German theologian and reformer from Nuremberg, who played a significant role in the Reformation movement. Another prominent figure was Hans Bender (1889-1966), a renowned German parapsychologist and founder of the Institute for Parapsychology and Psychohygiene in Freiburg.
In the literary world, Lukas Bender (1492-1546) was a German Renaissance humanist and theologian from Ingolstadt, known for his scholarly works on Greek and Latin literature. Additionally, Gottlieb Bender (1673-1748), a German mathematician and astronomer from Leipzig, made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
The name Bender has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Bendorf, a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, and Bendershausen, a village in Lower Saxony. These place names may have influenced the spelling and regional variations of the surname over time.
While the name Bender has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has been adopted by various cultures and communities. Regardless of its geographical distribution, the surname Bender remains a testament to the rich history of occupational surnames and the significance of trades and professions in shaping personal identities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bender
Among Census respondents with the surname Bender, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bender 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 Bender surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 32,889
- Black or African American6.3% · 2,404
- Two or more races3.3% · 1,242
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 1,114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 306
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 250
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bender
Bender 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
#881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,551
+1,087 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 13.41
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,205
-1,346 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 12.78
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #821 | 38,464 | 14.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #881 | 39,551 | 13.41 | +1,087 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #900 | 38,205 | 12.78 | -1,346 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 19 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 Bender 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 | #881 | #900 | -2.2% |
| Count | 39,551 | 38,205 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 13.41 | 12.78 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bender bearers went from 39,551 to 38,205 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #881 to #900.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bender
FAQ
Bender surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bender?
Name Census estimates that about 43,811 living Americans carry the surname Bender. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,823 residents.
How common is Bender?
Bender ranks #900 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,205 people with the surname Bender. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,811), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Bender.
Has Bender become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bender went from 39,551 recorded bearers to 38,205. That is a decrease of 1,346 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #881 to #900.
What does the Census say about the background of Bender?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bender, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) 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 Bender in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (32,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bender appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (6.3%), 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 Bender (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 Bender mean?
An occupational surname referring to a cooper or barrel maker, derived from the Middle High German word "büttner." 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 Bender (12.78 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 Bender?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.