2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bergeland
From Norwegian, meaning "farmland or meadow on a hillside or mountain".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Bergeland. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergeland 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Bergeland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeland, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bergeland
The surname Bergeland is of Norwegian origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a topographic name, derived from the Old Norse words "bergr" meaning mountain or hill, and "land" meaning land or territory. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely resided in a mountainous or hilly region of Norway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bergeland name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents. In this collection, there is a record from the year 1342 mentioning a person named Thorstein Bergeland, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Bergeland name appeared in various parish records and census documents in various parts of Norway, particularly in the western regions. This suggests that the name had spread and become more prevalent during this period.
One notable individual bearing the Bergeland surname was Nils Bergeland, a Norwegian priest and poet who lived from 1658 to 1720. He served as a parish priest in the village of Voss and is known for his contribution to the development of the Nynorsk language, one of the two official written standards of Norwegian.
Another prominent figure was Hans Bergeland, a Norwegian historian and politician who lived from 1804 to 1869. He served as a member of the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) and was instrumental in the establishment of the University of Oslo.
In the 19th century, the Bergeland name gained further recognition with the birth of Jens Bergeland, a Norwegian-American author and journalist who lived from 1843 to 1903. He emigrated to the United States and became a prolific writer, contributing to various Norwegian-American publications.
The Bergeland surname can also be traced back to the village of Bergeland in the municipality of Gjesdal, located in the county of Rogaland, Norway. This village likely served as the original home of some of the earliest bearers of the name, further reinforcing its topographic origins.
Throughout its history, the Bergeland surname has maintained a strong presence in Norway and has been carried by individuals across various professions, from clergy and scholars to writers and politicians. While the name may have evolved slightly in spelling over time, its core meaning and connection to the rugged landscapes of Norway remain intact.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergeland
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeland, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergeland 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 Bergeland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 100
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergeland
Bergeland 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,607 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,360 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,607 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 5,360 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 Bergeland 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 | #149,395 | #154,755 | -3.6% |
| Count | 110 | 102 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergeland bearers went from 110 to 102 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 5,360 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,755.
FAQ
Bergeland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergeland?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Bergeland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Bergeland?
Bergeland ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Bergeland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bergeland.
Has Bergeland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergeland went from 110 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergeland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeland, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Bergeland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergeland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Black (1.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Bergeland (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 Bergeland mean?
From Norwegian, meaning "farmland or meadow on a hillside or mountain". 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 Bergeland (0.03 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 share the surname Bergeland?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.