2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bentch
A German surname possibly derived from the word "Bench", referring to an occupation involving benches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Bentch. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bentch 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Bentch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bentch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bentch
The surname BENTCH has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "benta," which referred to a type of grass or reed that grew abundantly in the marshy regions of central Europe.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century, appearing in various historical documents and records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Bentch, a farmer who lived in the village of Böblingen near Stuttgart in the late 1300s.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name BENTCH began to spread across other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. It is believed that some families with this surname may have originated from the town of Bentheim in Lower Saxony, which could have been an alternative source for the name's derivation.
In the 16th century, the name BENTCH appeared in several notable historical records, including the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493. One of the notable bearers of the name from this period was Matthias Bentch, a merchant and trader from Augsburg who was mentioned in the city's trade records from the late 1500s.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way into various literary works and historical accounts. In the early 17th century, the German writer and poet Friedrich von Logau mentioned a character named Hans Bentch in one of his satirical works, indicating the surname's widespread recognition at the time.
Other notable individuals with the surname BENTCH throughout history include:
1. Johann Bentch (1652-1718), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Jena.
2. Anna Bentch (1734-1805), a German painter and engraver known for her intricate floral and landscape works.
3. Wilhelm Bentch (1822-1891), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Bentch Steel Company in Dortmund.
4. Ernst Bentch (1876-1942), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and Hamburg.
5. Hildegard Bentch (1907-1998), a German-born American physicist who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II.
The surname BENTCH has remained prominent throughout various regions of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with many families continuing to carry on the legacy of this name to the present day.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bentch
Among Census respondents with the surname Bentch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bentch 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 Bentch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 102
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bentch
Bentch 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+10 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 698 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-11 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 698 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 9,840 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 Bentch 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 | #143,149 | #152,989 | -6.9% |
| Count | 116 | 105 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bentch bearers went from 116 to 105 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 9,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #152,989.
FAQ
Bentch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bentch?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Bentch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Bentch?
Bentch ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Bentch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Bentch.
Has Bentch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bentch went from 116 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Bentch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bentch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bentch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bentch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bentch (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 Bentch mean?
A German surname possibly derived from the word "Bench", referring to an occupation involving benches. 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 Bentch (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 share the surname Bentch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.