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

Berez, 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 Berez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Berez in America

Berez is the 57914th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Berez surname appeared 351 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 Berez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Berez 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.

The history of the last name Berez

The surname "BEREZ" is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old Polish word "brzoza," which means "birch tree." The name likely originated in areas of Poland where birch trees were abundant, such as the forests of Masovia or Pomerania.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Tarnów town records from 1389, where a person named "Petrus Berez" is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 14th century in the region of Lesser Poland.

In the 15th century, the name "Berez" can be found in the Metryka Koronna, a collection of Polish royal documents and court records. For example, in 1456, a nobleman named "Mikołaj Berez" is mentioned in relation to a land dispute in the Lublin region.

The name "Berez" may also have been influenced by the Polish place name "Brzeźno," which is derived from the same root word meaning "birch tree." There are several villages and towns in Poland with this name, including Brzeźno Lęborskie in the Pomeranian Voivodeship and Brzeźno Mazowieckie in the Masovian Voivodeship.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname "Berez." One of the earliest was Jan Berez (c. 1450-1520), a Polish nobleman and military leader who served under King Jan I Olbracht. Another prominent figure was Michał Berez (1668-1744), a Polish Baroque painter known for his religious works and portraits.

In more recent times, there was Józef Berez (1888-1957), a Polish politician and member of the Polish Sejm (parliament) during the interwar period. Henryk Berez (1901-1992) was a Polish actor and director who appeared in numerous films and stage productions throughout the 20th century.

Lastly, Wanda Berez (1914-2000) was a Polish-born British sculptor and artist known for her abstract works and public art installations. She was recognized with several awards, including the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 1998.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Berez

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

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 Berez was:

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 Berez has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Berez was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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