Berberian last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Berberian is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Berberian.

Meaning of Berberian

An Armenian surname likely derived from a place name.

Berberian, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Berberian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Berberian in America

Berberian is the 26171st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Berberian surname appeared 935 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Berberian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Berberian to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank26171258651.18%
Count9358934.60%
Proportion per 100k0.320.33-3.08%

The history of the last name Berberian

The surname Berberian originated in Armenia, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 5th century AD. The name is derived from the Armenian word "berber," meaning "soldier" or "warrior," suggesting that the original bearers of this name might have been members of the military or involved in warfare.

Historical records indicate that the Berberian family was prominent in the region of Vaspurakan, located in the modern-day Van Province of Turkey. In the 9th century, a nobleman named Berberian Artsruni was a prominent figure in the area and served as the governor of Vaspurakan.

The name Berberian appears in several ancient Armenian manuscripts and chronicles, including the "History of Armenia" by Movses Khorenatsi, written in the 5th century. This work mentions individuals with the surname Berberian who played significant roles in the political and cultural life of the Armenian kingdom.

During the medieval period, the Berberian family was known for its contributions to the Armenian Church and monastic life. One notable figure was Yovhannes Berberian, a 13th-century Armenian monk and scholar who authored several religious works and served as the abbot of the Haghbat Monastery.

In the 16th century, a prominent member of the Berberian family was Khachatur Berberian, a skilled architect who oversaw the construction of several churches and monasteries in the regions of Artsakh and Syunik.

Another famous Berberian was Hovhannes Berberian, a 19th-century Armenian writer and educator who played a significant role in the cultural renaissance of the Armenian people. He was born in 1806 and spent much of his life teaching and writing textbooks for Armenian schools.

Other notable individuals with the surname Berberian include:

  1. Cathy Berberian (1925-1983), an American mezzo-soprano known for her experimental vocal performances and collaborations with avant-garde composers.

  2. Vahan Berberian (1901-1990), an Armenian-American engineer and inventor who patented several innovative designs, including the first successful helicopter rotor system.

  3. Vahram Berberian (1916-1992), an Armenian-American artist and painter known for his abstract expressionist works and his contributions to the New York art scene.

  4. Armen Berberian (born 1944), a renowned Armenian-American conductor and music educator who has served as the music director of various orchestras and institutions.

  5. Ara Berberian (1934-2014), an Armenian-American journalist and author who wrote extensively on Armenian history and culture, and served as the editor of several Armenian-American publications.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Berberian

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Berberian.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Berberian was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only95.19%890
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races0.64%6
Hispanic Origin3.64%34

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Berberian has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White95.19%95.74%-0.58%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races0.64%2.24%-111.11%
Hispanic3.64%1.68%73.68%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Berberian was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Berberian, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.

Search
Search
Background shape