2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bergbigler
A surname of German origin possibly meaning "mountain dweller" or "from the mountain hamlet".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Bergbigler. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergbigler 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Bergbigler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergbigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bergbigler
The surname BERGBIGLER has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Austria. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.
The name BERGBIGLER is thought to be derived from a combination of two Germanic words: "berg," meaning "mountain" or "hill," and "bigler," which could be a reference to an occupation or a personal characteristic. One possible interpretation is that the name was originally given to someone who lived or worked in the mountains, perhaps as a miner, forester, or shepherd.
In terms of historical records, there are a few mentions of individuals with the surname BERGBIGLER in various documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, a Jakob BERGBIGLER is listed in a parish register from the town of Zwickau, Saxony, dated 1587. Another record from the city of Augsburg, Bavaria, from 1642 includes the name Hans BERGBIGLER, who was a merchant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BERGBIGLER can be found in the "Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon," a biographical dictionary of notable Austrians. It mentions a Johann BERGBIGLER, born in 1712 in the village of Admont, Styria, who was a renowned scholar and theologian at the University of Vienna.
Another notable figure with the surname BERGBIGLER was Maria BERGBIGLER, born in 1789 in the town of Schwaz, Tyrol. She was a celebrated artist and painter, known for her intricate landscape paintings depicting the scenic mountains and valleys of the Tyrolean Alps.
In the 19th century, a few individuals with the surname BERGBIGLER gained recognition in various fields. One such person was Karl BERGBIGLER (1823-1902), a German architect and urban planner who was instrumental in the redesign and modernization of several cities in Bavaria.
Another noteworthy figure was Emilie BERGBIGLER (1856-1928), a German writer and poet who was part of the literary circle in Berlin. Her works often explored themes of nature, love, and the struggles of everyday life.
While the surname BERGBIGLER is not among the most common surnames in German-speaking countries today, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the mountainous regions of Central Europe, where it likely originated as a descriptive name or occupational reference.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergbigler
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergbigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergbigler 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 Bergbigler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 110
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergbigler
Bergbigler 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+4 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,960 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-21 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +4 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 4,960 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 19,739 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 Bergbigler 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 | #126,018 | #145,757 | -15.7% |
| Count | 136 | 115 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergbigler bearers went from 136 to 115 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 19,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #145,757.
FAQ
Bergbigler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergbigler?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Bergbigler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Bergbigler?
Bergbigler ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Bergbigler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Bergbigler.
Has Bergbigler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergbigler went from 136 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 21 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergbigler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergbigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bergbigler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergbigler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bergbigler (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 Bergbigler mean?
A surname of German origin possibly meaning "mountain dweller" or "from the mountain hamlet". 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 Bergbigler (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 are called Bergbigler?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bergbigler is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.