2000
#67,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Berck
A topographic surname potentially referring to someone from a place called Berck or a hillock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 353 Americans carry the last name Berck. That puts it at #68,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 970,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berck 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 Berck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
353
1 in 970,975
Census rank
#68,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
308
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 308 bearers of the surname Berck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berck
The surname BERCK is believed to have originated in the German region of Bavaria, with records dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Germanic word "Berg," meaning "hill" or "mountain," suggesting that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived in or near a hilly or mountainous area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BERCK can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript from the Corvey Abbey in Westphalia, Germany. This document, dating back to the 9th century, mentions a person named Bercko, which is likely an early spelling variation of the surname.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Heinrich von Berck was documented as the owner of lands near the town of Berck-sur-Mer in northern France. This suggests that the name may have spread from Germany to other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure bearing the surname BERCK was Johannes Berck, a German printer and publisher who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his work in producing influential books and pamphlets during the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, a Dutch painter named Hieronymus van Beverningh, also known as Hieronymus Berck, gained recognition for his still-life paintings and landscapes. He was born in 1614 and died in 1690.
Another prominent individual with the surname BERCK was Johann Berck, a German composer and organist who lived from 1628 to 1676. He is remembered for his contributions to the development of the North German organ school and his compositions for organ and other instruments.
The surname BERCK has also been associated with various place names, such as Berck-sur-Mer in France, Berck in Germany, and Berck in the Netherlands. These place names likely originated from the same Germanic root word and may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
It is worth noting that while the surname BERCK has a long history and can be traced back to medieval times, its prevalence and distribution may have varied across different regions and time periods. The information provided here represents a general overview of the surname's origins and notable bearers, but there may be additional historical records and details yet to be discovered or explored.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berck
Among Census respondents with the surname Berck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Berck 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 Berck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 276
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 15
- Two or more races2.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 6
- Black or African American1.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berck
Berck 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
#69,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 280
+6 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 2,679 places
2020
#68,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
+28 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 1,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #67,317 | 274 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #69,996 | 280 | 0.09 | +6 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 2,679 places |
| 2020 | #68,789 | 308 | 0.10 | +28 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,207 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 Berck 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 | #69,996 | #68,789 | 1.7% |
| Count | 280 | 308 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berck bearers went from 280 to 308 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 1,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #69,996 to #68,789.
FAQ
Berck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berck?
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the surname Berck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 970,975 residents.
How common is Berck?
Berck ranks #68,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 308 people with the surname Berck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (353), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Berck.
Has Berck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berck went from 280 recorded bearers to 308. That is an increase of 28 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #69,996 to #68,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Berck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Berck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (276 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Berck (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 Berck mean?
A topographic surname potentially referring to someone from a place called Berck or a hillock. 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 Berck (0.10 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 common is the surname Berck?
You can see how many people are called Berck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.