2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Berkholz
From a German place name derived from "birke" meaning birch tree and "holz" meaning woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Berkholz. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berkholz 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Berkholz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berkholz
The surname Berkholz has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the German words "Berke," meaning birch tree, and "Holz," meaning wood or forest. This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have lived near or worked in an area abundant with birch trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berkholz can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Buch, a comprehensive collection of German family names, dating back to the 13th century. The entry mentions a certain "Heinrich Berkholz" from the town of Goslar in Lower Saxony, documented in 1312.
In the 15th century, the Berkholz name appears in various historical records from the region of Brandenburg. A notable figure was Hans Berkholz, a respected merchant and landowner from the town of Pritzwalk, born in 1439 and died in 1502.
During the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of Germany, including Saxony and Pomerania. One prominent individual was Johann Berkholz, a Lutheran theologian and author born in Rostock in 1572. He wrote several influential works on religious philosophy and served as a professor at the University of Greifswald until his death in 1631.
In the 17th century, the Berkholz family established roots in the Prussian province of Silesia. A notable member was Friedrich Berkholz, a military officer who fought in the Thirty Years' War and later became a landowner in the town of Brieg. He was born in 1619 and died in 1687.
The 18th century saw the Berkholz name spread further across Germany, with members of the family engaged in various professions, including academia, law, and the clergy. One notable figure was Georg Berkholz, a renowned jurist and legal scholar born in Erfurt in 1743. He served as a professor of law at the University of Jena and authored several influential works on legal theory before his death in 1818.
Throughout its history, the Berkholz surname has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Berckholtz, Berckholz, and Berkholtz. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the German language and the historical connection to birch trees and forests.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berkholz
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Berkholz 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 Berkholz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 99
- Two or more races7.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berkholz
Berkholz 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,828 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-13 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 12,828 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 12,411 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 Berkholz 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 | #139,228 | #151,639 | -8.9% |
| Count | 120 | 107 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berkholz bearers went from 120 to 107 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 12,411 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #151,639.
FAQ
Berkholz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berkholz?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Berkholz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Berkholz?
Berkholz ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Berkholz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Berkholz.
Has Berkholz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berkholz went from 120 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Berkholz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Berkholz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berkholz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Berkholz (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 Berkholz mean?
From a German place name derived from "birke" meaning birch tree and "holz" meaning woods. 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 Berkholz (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 Berkholz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Berkholz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.