Find out how popular the last name Berkley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Berkley.

Berkley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Berkley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Berkley in America

Berkley is the 7050th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Berkley surname appeared 4,750 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Berkley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Berkley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Berkley

The surname Berkley originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "beorc" meaning birch tree and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a birch clearing or meadow.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Berchelai" and "Berchelei." These entries refer to places in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, respectively. The Berkley family held lands in Somerset, England as early as the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name was also spelled as "Berkeleye" and "Barkeley." One notable bearer of the name was Sir Maurice de Berkeley (c.1218-1281), a prominent English baron and Lord of Berkeley Castle. His son, Thomas de Berkeley (c.1245-1321), was also a significant figure and served as Lord of Berkeley.

Another important Berkley was Sir William Berkeley (1605-1677), a colonial governor of Virginia who played a key role in the events leading up to Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. He was also a celebrated author and playwright.

In the 18th century, George Berkeley (1685-1753), an Irish philosopher and Bishop of Cloyne, made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics and is best known for his philosophical concept of "immaterialism" or "subjective idealism."

A more recent figure was Busby Berkeley (1895-1976), an American film director and choreographer known for his elaborate musical productions featuring extravagant dance numbers. His innovative choreography and camera work left a lasting impact on the film industry.

While the name has various spellings, including Berkeley, Barkley, and Burkley, the Berkley variation has been consistently used throughout history by notable individuals and families, reflecting its English origins and long-standing presence in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Berkley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Berkley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Berkley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Berkley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Berkley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Berkley, please contact us.

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