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

Bergen, 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 Bergen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bergen in America

Bergen is the 5711th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bergen surname appeared 6,074 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bergen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bergen 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 Bergen

The surname Bergen originates from the Netherlands and has been in use since the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch word "berg," meaning "hill" or "mountain," and likely referred to someone who lived near or came from a hilly or mountainous area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bergen can be found in the 14th century Dutch records, where it was spelled as "van Bergen" or "van den Bergen." This suggests that the name was initially used as a locative surname, indicating someone from a particular place called Bergen or a similar name.

The name Bergen is also associated with the city of Bergen in Norway, which was an important trading center during the Middle Ages. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may have originated from or had connections to this city.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Anthonius van Bergen (c. 1420-1475) was a Dutch physician and scholar who wrote several works on medicine and philosophy. He is considered one of the earliest Dutch humanists.

Another prominent individual with the surname Bergen was Dirck van Bergen (c. 1593-1667), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and genre paintings. His works are currently housed in various museums across Europe.

In the 19th century, a Norwegian author named Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven (1807-1873) was born with the original surname Bergen. He was a prominent figure in the Norwegian romantic nationalist movement and is considered one of Norway's greatest lyric poets.

The surname Bergen has also been associated with various place names, such as Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands and Bergen County in New Jersey, USA. These places may have contributed to the spread and usage of the surname in different regions.

Another noteworthy individual with the surname Bergen was the American actress Candice Bergen (born 1946), known for her roles in films such as "The Sand Pebbles" and the TV series "Murphy Brown."

While the surname Bergen has Dutch origins, it has been adopted and used by individuals across various countries and cultures over the centuries, with different spellings and variations emerging.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bergen

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

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

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

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