2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Berkbuegler
A Germanic surname derived from a topographic name for someone living near a mountain or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Berkbuegler. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berkbuegler 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Berkbuegler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkbuegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berkbuegler
The surname Berkbuegler originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old German words "berc" meaning hill or mountain, and "buegler" which referred to a person who ironed or pressed clothes, suggesting that the name may have described someone who lived near a hill and worked as a cloth presser or ironer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berkbuegler can be found in a document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in modern-day Bavaria, Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. The record mentions a "Hans Berkbuegler" who was a respected cloth merchant in the town.
During the 16th century, the name Berkbuegler appears in various church records and tax registers across parts of southern Germany and the German-speaking regions of Switzerland. In 1572, a "Peter Berkbuegler" is listed as a landowner in the village of Oberhofen, near the city of Bern in Switzerland.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the name Berkbuegler was Johann Christoph Berkbuegler (1635-1701), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in the town of Sprendlingen, near Frankfurt am Main in Germany. His published works include several treatises on religious topics.
The 18th century saw the birth of Johann Friedrich Berkbuegler (1725-1792), a German clockmaker and inventor who lived in the city of Nuremberg. He is credited with developing several improvements to the design and mechanisms of clocks and timepieces during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual with the name Berkbuegler was Katharina Berkbuegler (1839-1912), a Swiss philanthropist and social activist from the city of Zurich. She founded several charitable organizations and worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of the poor and underprivileged in her community.
While the name Berkbuegler is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, where it likely originated as a descriptive surname related to occupation and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berkbuegler
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkbuegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Berkbuegler 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 Berkbuegler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 113
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berkbuegler
Berkbuegler 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,333 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,333 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,072 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 Berkbuegler 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 | #143,149 | #147,221 | -2.8% |
| Count | 116 | 113 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berkbuegler bearers went from 116 to 113 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,221.
FAQ
Berkbuegler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berkbuegler?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Berkbuegler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Berkbuegler?
Berkbuegler ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Berkbuegler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Berkbuegler.
Has Berkbuegler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berkbuegler went from 116 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Berkbuegler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkbuegler, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Berkbuegler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berkbuegler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Berkbuegler (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 Berkbuegler mean?
A Germanic surname derived from a topographic name for someone living near a mountain or 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 Berkbuegler (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 Berkbuegler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.