2000
#13,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Berke
Derived from a place name meaning "birch tree" in Old English, likely referring to someone living near birch trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,150 Americans carry the last name Berke. That puts it at #15,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berke 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
2.1K
1 in 159,421
Census rank
#15,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,875 bearers of the surname Berke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berke
The surname BERKE is believed to have originated in Germany. It is derived from the Old German word "berc" or "berg," meaning "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near or on a hill or mountain.
The earliest recorded instances of the name BERKE can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. It is possible that the name may have been influenced by the German place name "Berg," which is a town located in the state of Bavaria.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname BERKE was Johannes Berke, a merchant who lived in the city of Cologne in the late 14th century. In the 15th century, there are records of a family named Berke residing in the town of Erfurt, in the central region of Germany.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the BERKE surname spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as "Berke" or "Berken," while in Switzerland, it was often written as "Bercker."
A notable figure with the surname BERKE was Johann Gottfried Berke (1711-1786), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig. Another individual of note was Friedrich Wilhelm Berke (1790-1868), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits.
In the 19th century, the BERKE surname made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States and Canada, as many German immigrants sought new opportunities in the New World. One such individual was Christian Berke (1822-1895), who was born in Germany and later settled in Pennsylvania, where he worked as a farmer.
Another notable figure with the BERKE surname was Friedrich August Berke (1827-1908), a German botanist and mycologist who made significant contributions to the study of fungi. He published numerous works on the subject and is considered one of the pioneers in the field of mycology.
As the BERKE surname spread throughout different regions and countries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Berke," "Bercke," "Bercken," and "Bercker." However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the Old German word "berc" or "berg," reflecting its topographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berke
Among Census respondents with the surname Berke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Berke 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 Berke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,714
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 61
- Two or more races2.0% · 38
- Black or African American1.9% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berke
Berke 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
#11,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,734
+599 bearers (+28.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 1,624 places
2020
#15,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,875
-859 bearers (-31.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 3,599 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,128 | 2,135 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,504 | 2,734 | 0.93 | +599 bearers (+28.1%) | Up 1,624 places |
| 2020 | #15,103 | 1,875 | 0.63 | -859 bearers (-31.4%) | Down 3,599 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 Berke 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 | #11,504 | #15,103 | -31.3% |
| Count | 2,734 | 1,875 | -31.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.63 | -32.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berke bearers went from 2,734 to 1,875 (-31.4% change). The surname moved down 3,599 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,504 to #15,103.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Berke
FAQ
Berke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berke?
Name Census estimates that about 2,150 living Americans carry the surname Berke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,421 residents.
How common is Berke?
Berke ranks #15,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,875 people with the surname Berke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,150), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Berke.
Has Berke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berke went from 2,734 recorded bearers to 1,875. That is a decrease of 859 (-31.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,504 to #15,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Berke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Berke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,714 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Berke (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 Berke mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "birch tree" in Old English, likely referring to someone living near birch trees. 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 Berke (0.63 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 common is the surname Berke?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Berke is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.