2000
#11,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,450
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Bergeson
Derived from a Scandinavian place name meaning "hill pasture" or "meadow on a hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,487 Americans carry the last name Bergeson. That puts it at #13,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergeson 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
2.5K
1 in 137,818
Census rank
#13,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,169 bearers of the surname Bergeson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bergeson
The surname BERGESON is of Scandinavian origin, deriving from areas that are now part of Norway and Sweden. It likely emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th centuries. The name is believed to be a patronymic form, meaning "son of Berge," with Berge being a personal name derived from the Old Norse word "bjarg," meaning "mountain" or "cliff."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BERGESON surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents. In a document dated 1367, a man named Erling Bergeson is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the region of Trøndelag, Norway.
In Sweden, the BERGESON name can be traced back to the 16th century. The Swedish church records from that time period include entries for individuals with the name, often spelled as "Bergeson" or variations like "Bergesson" or "Bergeson."
A notable early bearer of the BERGESON surname was Johan Bergeson, born in 1612 in Västergötland, Sweden. He was a farmer and landowner who played a role in local affairs during the turbulent times of the Swedish Empire's expansion under King Gustavus Adolphus.
Another notable figure was Berte Bergeson, a Norwegian woman born in 1734 in the village of Eidsvoll. She gained recognition for her skill in traditional Norwegian folk arts, particularly weaving and embroidery. Her work has been preserved in museums and is considered a significant representation of Norwegian cultural heritage.
In the 19th century, a prominent individual with the BERGESON surname was Hans Bergeson, born in 1825 in Telemark, Norway. He was a renowned woodcarver and artist, known for his intricate and detailed carvings of traditional Norwegian motifs and scenes from rural life.
During the great waves of Scandinavian immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the BERGESON surname settled in the Midwest, particularly in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas, where they established communities and contributed to the cultural fabric of those regions.
While the BERGESON name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the rugged landscapes of Scandinavia, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for those living in mountainous or cliff-side areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergeson
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergeson 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 Bergeson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,026
- Two or more races2.7% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergeson
Bergeson 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
#12,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,597
+147 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 300 places
2020
#13,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,169
-428 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 1,399 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,722 | 2,450 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,022 | 2,597 | 0.88 | +147 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 300 places |
| 2020 | #13,421 | 2,169 | 0.73 | -428 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 1,399 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 Bergeson 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 | #12,022 | #13,421 | -11.6% |
| Count | 2,597 | 2,169 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.73 | -17.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergeson bearers went from 2,597 to 2,169 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 1,399 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,022 to #13,421.
FAQ
Bergeson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergeson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,487 living Americans carry the surname Bergeson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,818 residents.
How common is Bergeson?
Bergeson ranks #13,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,169 people with the surname Bergeson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,487), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bergeson.
Has Bergeson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergeson went from 2,597 recorded bearers to 2,169. That is a decrease of 428 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,022 to #13,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergeson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergeson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Bergeson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,026 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergeson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Bergeson (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 Bergeson mean?
Derived from a Scandinavian place name meaning "hill pasture" or "meadow on a 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 Bergeson (0.73 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 have the last name Bergeson?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Bergeson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.