2000
#17,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,458
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Bergey
A French surname derived from the word "bergier" meaning shepherd or herdsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,802 Americans carry the last name Bergey. That puts it at #17,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 190,208 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergey 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
1.8K
1 in 190,208
Census rank
#17,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,571 bearers of the surname Bergey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bergey
The surname BERGEY has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Berg," which means "mountain" or "hill," indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or on a hill or mountain.
The earliest recorded instances of the BERGEY surname can be found in various German records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Heinricus Bergey in a document from the town of Offenburg in the region of Baden-Württemberg, dated 1297.
Throughout the centuries, the surname BERGEY has undergone various spelling variations, including Berge, Bergey, Bergai, and Bergei, among others. These variations often reflect regional dialects and differences in pronunciation across various parts of Germany.
In the 15th century, the name BERGEY can be found in the records of the city of Augsburg, where a family by the name of Bergey was actively involved in the textile trade. One notable member of this family was Hans Bergey, a successful merchant born in Augsburg in 1439.
As the BERGEY surname spread across Europe, it also found its way to other countries, such as France and Switzerland. In the 17th century, a Swiss family by the name of Bergey settled in the region of Neuchâtel, where they became prominent in the watchmaking industry.
Another notable individual with the BERGEY surname was Johann Bergey, a German theologian and philosopher born in Nuremberg in 1592. He was widely recognized for his contributions to the field of religious studies and his writings on Protestant theology.
In the 19th century, the BERGEY surname gained further recognition with the birth of David Hendricks Bergey, an American microbiologist and taxonomist born in 1860. He is best known for his work in developing the Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, which became a widely used reference work in the field of microbiology.
Over the centuries, the BERGEY surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and scholars. While the name may have originated in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, reflecting the diverse and rich history of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergey
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergey 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 Bergey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,464
- Two or more races2.7% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergey
Bergey 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
#17,927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,559
+101 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 208 places
2020
#17,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,571
+12 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Up 351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,719 | 1,458 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,927 | 1,559 | 0.53 | +101 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 208 places |
| 2020 | #17,576 | 1,571 | 0.53 | +12 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 351 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 Bergey 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 | #17,927 | #17,576 | 2.0% |
| Count | 1,559 | 1,571 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.53 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergey bearers went from 1,559 to 1,571 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 351 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,927 to #17,576.
FAQ
Bergey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,802 living Americans carry the surname Bergey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 190,208 residents.
How common is Bergey?
Bergey ranks #17,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.53 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 1,571 people with the surname Bergey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,802), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.53 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 Bergey.
Has Bergey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergey went from 1,559 recorded bearers to 1,571. That is an increase of 12 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,927 to #17,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Bergey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Bergey (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 Bergey mean?
A French surname derived from the word "bergier" meaning shepherd or herdsman. 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 Bergey (0.53 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 surname Bergey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.