2000
#13,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,078
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Beran
A surname of Czech origin meaning "lamb" or referring to someone who worked as a shepherd.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,275 Americans carry the last name Beran. That puts it at #14,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beran 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 Beran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 150,661
Census rank
#14,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,984 bearers of the surname Beran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beran, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beran
The surname Beran originates from the Czech Republic and its origins can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Czech word "ber", which means "bear", suggesting that the name may have originated as a nickname for someone who was strong or brave like a bear.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Beran can be found in a document from the town of Beroun, located in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, dated 1265. This document mentions a man named Bera, which is believed to be an early variant of the surname Beran.
In the 14th century, the name began to appear in various municipal records and tax rolls across the Czech lands. For instance, a man named Petr Beran was listed as a landowner in the village of Předměřice nad Labem in 1342.
Historically, the Beran surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Jan Beran (1598-1673), a prominent Czech writer and translator who played a significant role in the development of the Czech language during the Baroque period.
Another notable bearer of the Beran surname was Josef Beran (1888-1969), a Czech cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Archbishop of Prague from 1946 to 1969. He was a vocal opponent of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia and was imprisoned for his beliefs.
In the 15th century, the Beran surname can be found in the records of the town of Kutná Hora, which was an important center of silver mining during the Middle Ages. A document from 1457 mentions a miner named Václav Beran, who was involved in a dispute over a mining claim.
The Beran surname has also been associated with various place names in the Czech Republic. For example, the village of Beranovy Stavby (formerly known as Beranovy Lhotky) in the Pardubice Region, which is believed to have been named after an early settler with the surname Beran.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the Beran surname, including Miloš Beran (1885-1948), a Czech politician and Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1938 to 1939, and Jiří Beran (1901-1959), a Czech physicist and inventor who made significant contributions to the field of radio technology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beran
Among Census respondents with the surname Beran, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Beran 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 Beran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,808
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 82
- Two or more races2.4% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 28
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beran
Beran 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
#13,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,191
+113 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 364 places
2020
#14,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
-207 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 667 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,434 | 2,078 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,798 | 2,191 | 0.74 | +113 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 364 places |
| 2020 | #14,465 | 1,984 | 0.66 | -207 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 667 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 Beran 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 | #13,798 | #14,465 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,191 | 1,984 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.66 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beran bearers went from 2,191 to 1,984 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 667 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,798 to #14,465.
FAQ
Beran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beran?
Name Census estimates that about 2,275 living Americans carry the surname Beran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,661 residents.
How common is Beran?
Beran ranks #14,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,984 people with the surname Beran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,275), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Beran.
Has Beran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beran went from 2,191 recorded bearers to 1,984. That is a decrease of 207 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,798 to #14,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Beran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beran, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Beran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,808 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Beran (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 Beran mean?
A surname of Czech origin meaning "lamb" or referring to someone who worked as a shepherd. 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 Beran (0.66 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 Beran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.