2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bendewald
A surname derived from the German words "benne" (trough) and "wald" (forest), possibly referring to someone living near a forest trough or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Bendewald. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bendewald 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Bendewald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bendewald, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bendewald
The surname Bendewald originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from a combination of the Old German words "bende" meaning "a band or ribbon" and "wald" meaning "forest" or "woods," potentially referring to a person who lived near or worked in a forested area where ribbons or bands were produced or used.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the Bendewald name can be found in the parish records of the town of Kitzingen, located in the northern Bavarian region of Germany, from the year 1572. These records refer to a Johannes Bendewald, a local tradesman and merchant.
In the 17th century, the Bendewald name appeared in various legal and property documents across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Württemberg and Baden. Notable individuals from this period include Hans Bendewald, a landowner and farmer from the village of Oberstenfeld, born in 1632, and his son, Jakob Bendewald, who served as a local magistrate in the same village in the late 1600s.
As the Bendewald family spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling became common, with forms like Bendewaldt, Bendewalt, and Bendewalde being recorded in various historical documents and records.
During the 18th century, the Bendewald surname gained prominence with the rise of Johann Gottfried Bendewald, a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker born in Göttingen in 1724. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by nobility and wealthy patrons across Europe.
Another notable figure was Karl Bendewald, a German philosopher and academic who lived from 1788 to 1868. He served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg and was widely respected for his work on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the Bendewald name spread further through immigration to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable individual from this period was Friedrich Bendewald, a German-American architect and civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of several iconic buildings in New York City, including the Flatiron Building, completed in 1902.
Throughout its history, the Bendewald surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, academics, professionals, and entrepreneurs, all contributing to the rich tapestry of culture and society in their respective regions and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bendewald
Among Census respondents with the surname Bendewald, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bendewald 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 Bendewald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bendewald
Bendewald 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-8 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,669 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 14,669 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,821 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 Bendewald 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 | #136,449 | #144,270 | -5.7% |
| Count | 123 | 117 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bendewald bearers went from 123 to 117 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #144,270.
FAQ
Bendewald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bendewald?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Bendewald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Bendewald?
Bendewald ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Bendewald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bendewald.
Has Bendewald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bendewald went from 123 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Bendewald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bendewald, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Bendewald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bendewald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Bendewald (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 Bendewald mean?
A surname derived from the German words "benne" (trough) and "wald" (forest), possibly referring to someone living near a forest trough or stream. 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 Bendewald (0.04 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 have the surname Bendewald?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.