2000
#1,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,655
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.29
Uncommon Last name
Bergeron
An occupational surname for a shepherd or someone living near a sheep pen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,207 Americans carry the last name Bergeron. That puts it at #1,814 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,435 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergeron 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
22K
1 in 15,435
Census rank
#1,814
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,366 bearers of the surname Bergeron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1814th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeron, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bergeron
The surname Bergeron is of French origin, deriving from the Old French word "bergier," meaning "shepherd." It emerged in the late 11th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and the Île-de-France.
Bergeron is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, initially referring to individuals who were shepherds or worked with sheep herding. As surnames became hereditary, it was passed down from generation to generation, even as family members took on different professions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bergeron can be found in the Livre des Mestiers (Book of Trades), a 13th-century manuscript that documented various professions in Paris. It mentions a "Jehan Bergeron," likely a shepherd or someone associated with the sheep trade.
During the Middle Ages, the Bergeron family was present in several regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France. Variations in spelling, such as Bergeron, Bergerot, and Bergerat, were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Bergeron include:
1. Henri Bergeron (1804-1858), a French writer and poet known for his works on rural life and pastoral themes.
2. Guillaume Bergeron (1592-1672), a French architect who contributed to the design of the Château de Versailles and the Church of Val-de-Grâce in Paris.
3. Étienne Bergeron (1632-1701), a French explorer and fur trader who established settlements in the Great Lakes region of North America.
4. Marie-Catherine Bergeron (1779-1847), a French nun and educator who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence, a Catholic religious order dedicated to education and social work.
5. Louis Bergeron (1888-1957), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1940.
The name Bergeron is also associated with several place names in France, such as Bergeronnes, a municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, which likely derived its name from the surname. Additionally, there are villages and hamlets called Bergeron or Bergerons in various regions of France, reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergeron
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeron, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergeron 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 Bergeron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 17,428
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 638
- Two or more races3.2% · 614
- Black or African American2.3% · 454
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergeron
Bergeron 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
#1,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,073
+418 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 6.80
Rank movement Down 119 places
2020
#1,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,366
-707 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 6.48
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,667 | 19,655 | 7.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,786 | 20,073 | 6.80 | +418 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 119 places |
| 2020 | #1,814 | 19,366 | 6.48 | -707 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 28 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 Bergeron 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 | #1,786 | #1,814 | -1.6% |
| Count | 20,073 | 19,366 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.80 | 6.48 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergeron bearers went from 20,073 to 19,366 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,786 to #1,814.
FAQ
Bergeron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergeron?
Name Census estimates that about 22,207 living Americans carry the surname Bergeron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,435 residents.
How common is Bergeron?
Bergeron ranks #1,814 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,366 people with the surname Bergeron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,207), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Bergeron.
Has Bergeron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergeron went from 20,073 recorded bearers to 19,366. That is a decrease of 707 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,786 to #1,814.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergeron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeron, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bergeron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (17,428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergeron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bergeron (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 Bergeron mean?
An occupational surname for a shepherd or someone living near a sheep pen. 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 Bergeron (6.48 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 Bergeron?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.