2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Berkhahn
A German surname meaning "dweller by the birch trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Berkhahn. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berkhahn 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Berkhahn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkhahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berkhahn
The surname BERKHAHN is of German origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, where many towns and villages bear names with the prefix "Berk" or "Berg," indicating a hill or mountain.
The name BERKHAHN is a combination of the German words "Berg" (mountain or hill) and "Hahn" (rooster). This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name or a descriptor for someone who lived near a hill or mountain where roosters were kept or heard crowing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BERKHAHN can be found in the Osnabrück City Archives, where a certain Henrich Berkhahn is mentioned in a document dated 1582. This document relates to a land dispute in the village of Gesmold, near the city of Osnabrück.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the village of Bünde, located in the district of Herford, Westphalia. A farmer named Johann BERKHAHN is listed in the village's tax records from 1647.
Notable individuals with the surname BERKHAHN include Johann Friedrich BERKHAHN (1772-1848), a German theologian and author from Hanover. His works include "Lehrbuch der christlichen Dogmatik" (Textbook of Christian Dogmatics) and "Grundriss der Moral" (Outline of Morals).
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm BERKHAHN (1835-1903), a German businessman and politician from Bremen. He served as a member of the Bremen Parliament and was involved in the shipping and trading industries.
In the 19th century, a branch of the BERKHAHN family emigrated from Germany to the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Friedrich BERKHAHN (1801-1879), who settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the 1840s and worked as a carpenter.
The surname BERKHAHN can also be found in historical records from other parts of Germany, such as Bavaria and Thuringia, suggesting that the name may have spread to other regions over time.
While the name BERKHAHN is not among the most common surnames in Germany today, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and is deeply rooted in the country's cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berkhahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkhahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Berkhahn 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 Berkhahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 104
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berkhahn
Berkhahn 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-7 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,156 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 18,156 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 10,770 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 Berkhahn 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 | #160,975 | #150,205 | 6.7% |
| Count | 100 | 109 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berkhahn bearers went from 100 to 109 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 10,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #150,205.
FAQ
Berkhahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berkhahn?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Berkhahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Berkhahn?
Berkhahn ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Berkhahn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Berkhahn.
Has Berkhahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berkhahn went from 100 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 9 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Berkhahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkhahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Berkhahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berkhahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Black (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Berkhahn (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 Berkhahn mean?
A German surname meaning "dweller by the 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 Berkhahn (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 people have the last name Berkhahn?
Find out how many people have the last name Berkhahn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.