2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bergmans
A surname derived from the Dutch words "berg" (mountain) and "man" (man), indicating a person from a mountainous region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Bergmans. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bergmans 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Bergmans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergmans, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bergmans
The surname Bergmans originated in the Netherlands during the early Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch words "berg," meaning mountain or hill, and "man," meaning man. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or worked on a mountain or hillside.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bergmans surname can be found in the 13th-century Dutch manuscript "Codex Diplomaticus Neerlandicus," which mentions a person named Ghiselbertus Bergmans. This document provides evidence of the name's existence during the medieval period in the Low Countries.
In the 15th century, the surname Bergmans appeared in various records and documents across the Netherlands. For instance, a man named Jan Bergmans was mentioned in a legal document from the city of Leiden in 1472. Another notable figure from this era was Nicolaas Bergmans, a Dutch painter born in Haarlem around 1420.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Bergmans surname gained prominence in the Netherlands. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Pieter Bergmans (1615-1683), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. Another notable figure was Dirk Bergmans (1645-1724), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
In the 18th century, the Bergmans surname continued to be widely used in the Netherlands. One notable individual was Jan Bergmans (1720-1789), a Dutch botanist and physician who made important contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and classification.
Throughout the 19th century, the Bergmans surname spread beyond the Netherlands due to emigration. One notable figure from this period was Paul Bergmans (1804-1891), a Belgian painter and lithographer renowned for his landscapes and cityscapes.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Bergmans, which has its roots in the Netherlands and is closely tied to the Dutch language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bergmans
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergmans, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bergmans 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 Bergmans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bergmans
Bergmans 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,663 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,663 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 1,317 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 Bergmans 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 | #154,907 | #153,590 | 0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 104 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bergmans bearers went from 105 to 104 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 1,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #153,590.
FAQ
Bergmans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bergmans?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Bergmans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Bergmans?
Bergmans ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Bergmans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bergmans.
Has Bergmans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bergmans went from 105 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Bergmans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bergmans, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Bergmans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bergmans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Bergmans (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 Bergmans mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch words "berg" (mountain) and "man" (man), indicating a person from a mountainous region. 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 Bergmans (0.03 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 are called Bergmans?
See how common the surname Bergmans is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.