2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Berkness
A locational surname referring to someone from a place named with an Old English element meaning "birch tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Berkness. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berkness 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Berkness in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkness, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berkness
The surname BERKNESS has its origins in the United Kingdom, specifically in the area of Berkshire in southern England. The name is believed to have emerged in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "beorc," meaning "birch tree," combined with the suffix "-ness," which denotes a promontory or headland.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name BERKNESS can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a landowner named Godric de Berkness, who held property in the village of Bray near Windsor.
During the Middle Ages, the name BERKNESS was primarily concentrated in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. Several variations in spelling were common, including Berknesse, Berkenes, and Berkenesse. These variations reflect the fluidity of spelling conventions in medieval times.
Prominent individuals bearing the BERKNESS surname include Sir Robert BERKNESS (c. 1320 - 1395), a knight who served under Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Another notable figure was William BERKNESS (1455 - 1523), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London during the reign of Henry VIII.
In the 17th century, the BERKNESS name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warborough, Oxfordshire. One entry from 1647 mentions the baptism of John BERKNESS, son of Thomas and Anne BERKNESS.
During the English Civil War (1642 - 1651), a Captain Edward BERKNESS (1610 - 1678) fought on the Parliamentarian side and later served as a member of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army. His military exploits are documented in contemporary accounts from the period.
In the 18th century, the BERKNESS family established a presence in the county of Gloucestershire, where they were involved in the wool trade. Notable members of this branch include Richard BERKNESS (1725 - 1803), a successful wool merchant, and his son, James BERKNESS (1760 - 1842), who served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1819.
Throughout its history, the BERKNESS surname has been associated with various locations, including the village of Berkness near Taunton in Somerset, as well as the hamlet of Berkness in Wiltshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname who settled in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berkness
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkness, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Berkness 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 Berkness surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 109
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berkness
Berkness 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+14 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,029 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 4,029 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6,597 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 Berkness 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 | #134,712 | #141,309 | -4.9% |
| Count | 125 | 121 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berkness bearers went from 125 to 121 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6,597 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #141,309.
FAQ
Berkness surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berkness?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Berkness. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Berkness?
Berkness ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Berkness. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Berkness.
Has Berkness become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berkness went from 125 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Berkness?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkness, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Berkness in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berkness appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Berkness (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 Berkness mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place named with an Old English element meaning "birch tree". 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 Berkness (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 are called Berkness?
Find out how many people have the surname Berkness on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.