2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bergere
A French surname meaning a shepherdess or keeper of sheep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Bergere. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergere 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Bergere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergere, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bergere
The surname Bergere originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "bergier," which means "shepherd." The name likely referred to an individual who worked as a shepherd or lived in an area known for its sheep farming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bergere name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Vignory, a 12th-century manuscript from the Aube region of northeastern France. This document mentions a "Robertus Bergerius" in the year 1175.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Bergier," "Berger," and "Bergère," in records from different parts of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region.
One notable figure with the Bergere surname was Jean Bergere, a 14th-century French clergyman who served as the Bishop of Amiens from 1366 to 1385.
During the 16th century, the Bergere name was associated with several place names in France, such as Bergerac in the Dordogne region and Bergères-lès-Vertus in the Marne department.
In the 17th century, a prominent individual bearing this surname was François Bergere (1600-1683), a French playwright and poet from Rouen who authored several tragedies and comedies.
Another notable figure was Marie-Anne Bergere (1758-1838), a French feminist and writer who was active during the French Revolution and advocated for women's rights.
In the 19th century, Pierre-François Bergere (1812-1878) was a French politician and lawyer who served as a member of the National Assembly during the Second French Empire.
The Bergere surname has also been associated with various places in France, such as the town of Bergères in the Aube department, which likely derives its name from the same root as the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergere
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergere, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergere 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 Bergere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 6
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergere
Bergere 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-13 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,099 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,797 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 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 19,099 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,797 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 Bergere 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 | #140,157 | #147,954 | -5.6% |
| Count | 119 | 112 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergere bearers went from 119 to 112 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,797 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #147,954.
FAQ
Bergere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergere?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Bergere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Bergere?
Bergere ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Bergere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Bergere.
Has Bergere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergere went from 119 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergere, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Bergere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Hispanic (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Bergere (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 Bergere mean?
A French surname meaning a shepherdess or keeper of sheep. 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 Bergere (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 Americans have the surname Bergere?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.