2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bergenholtz
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with an element meaning "mountain" or "hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Bergenholtz. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergenholtz 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Bergenholtz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergenholtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bergenholtz
The surname Bergenholtz has its origins in Germany, with records indicating it first appeared in the late 16th century. This name is derived from the German words "berg" meaning mountain and "holtz" meaning forest or wood, referring to someone who lived near a mountainous, wooded area.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bergenholtz can be found in a 1594 church register from the town of Büdingen, located in the modern-day state of Hesse, Germany. This record documents the baptism of a child named Hans Bergenholtz.
In the 17th century, variations of the spelling such as Bergenholz and Bergenholzen were common, reflecting regional dialects and scribal inconsistencies of the time. The name is also believed to be linked to certain placenames in Germany, such as Bergenholz, a village in the district of Werra-Meissner in Hesse.
Notable individuals with the surname Bergenholtz include Johann Christian Bergenholtz (1790-1858), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works. Another notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Bergenholtz (1824-1899), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives.
In the 19th century, the Bergenholtz family appears to have spread across various regions of Germany, with records showing individuals with this surname residing in areas such as Saxony, Bavaria, and Rhineland-Palatinate. One remarkable individual from this period was Karl Bergenholtz (1858-1935), a German-American industrialist and inventor who held several patents related to mining and engineering.
As the 20th century dawned, the name Bergenholtz continued to be found in German records, with individuals such as the historian and archivist Otto Bergenholtz (1891-1964) and the political activist and writer Hedwig Bergenholtz (1900-1985) making notable contributions in their respective fields.
While the surname Bergenholtz is of German origin, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with individuals bearing this name found in various countries today. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the mountainous, forested regions of central Germany, where it first emerged centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergenholtz
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergenholtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergenholtz 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 Bergenholtz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.9% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander26.4% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergenholtz
Bergenholtz appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-17 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,890 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 15,890 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 Bergenholtz 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 | #136,449 | #152,339 | -11.6% |
| Count | 123 | 106 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergenholtz bearers went from 123 to 106 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 15,890 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #152,339.
FAQ
Bergenholtz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergenholtz?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Bergenholtz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Bergenholtz?
Bergenholtz ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Bergenholtz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Bergenholtz.
Has Bergenholtz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergenholtz went from 123 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergenholtz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergenholtz, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bergenholtz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.9% (72 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergenholtz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (26.4%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bergenholtz (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 Bergenholtz mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place with an element meaning "mountain" or "hill". 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 Bergenholtz (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 share the surname Bergenholtz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.