2000
#88,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Berkoff
A variant spelling of a locational surname of Russian Jewish origin referring to someone from Berdichev.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 235 Americans carry the last name Berkoff. That puts it at #95,461 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,458,529 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berkoff 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
235
1 in 1,458,529
Census rank
#95,461
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
205
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 205 bearers of the surname Berkoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 95461st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berkoff
The surname Berkoff is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and neighboring countries. It is thought to have emerged sometime around the 16th or 17th century, derived from an Old Slavic word that referred to a type of tree or its bark.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berkoff can be found in a Russian census document from the late 17th century, where it is listed as a surname belonging to a family living in a rural village near the city of Novgorod. The spelling at that time was slightly different, rendered as "Berkov" or "Berkof."
In the 18th century, the name began to spread beyond its original region, with some bearers of the name Berkoff appearing in historical records from other parts of the Russian Empire, as well as in neighboring countries like Poland and Ukraine. This was likely due to migration and the movement of people during that period.
One notable figure with the surname Berkoff was Ivan Berkoff, a Russian merchant and trader who lived in the mid-18th century. Historical records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative fur trade between Russia and Western Europe, and his name appears in several business ledgers and trade documents from that time.
Another individual of note was Mikhail Berkoff, a Russian poet and writer who was born in 1820 and died in 1892. He was known for his romantic poetry and his works often reflected the cultural traditions and folklore of his native region.
In the 19th century, the surname Berkoff also made its way to other parts of Europe, with a small number of families bearing the name settling in countries like Germany and France. One such person was Andrei Berkoff, a Russian-born artist who lived in Paris in the latter half of the 19th century and was known for his landscape paintings.
As the 20th century dawned, the name Berkoff continued to be found in various parts of Eastern Europe, with some bearers of the name also immigrating to other parts of the world, such as the United States and Canada. One notable individual from this period was Nikolai Berkoff, a Russian-born actor and theater director who lived from 1875 to 1948 and was known for his work in experimental theater.
Throughout its history, the surname Berkoff has maintained its connection to its Slavic roots, and while not a particularly common name, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artists, writers, and performers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berkoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Berkoff 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 Berkoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 17
- Two or more races3.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berkoff
Berkoff 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
#87,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
+19 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 1,490 places
2020
#95,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 205
-8 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,825 | 194 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,335 | 213 | 0.07 | +19 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 1,490 places |
| 2020 | #95,461 | 205 | 0.07 | -8 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 8,126 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 Berkoff 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 | #87,335 | #95,461 | -9.3% |
| Count | 213 | 205 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berkoff bearers went from 213 to 205 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 8,126 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,335 to #95,461.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Berkoff
FAQ
Berkoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berkoff?
Name Census estimates that about 235 living Americans carry the surname Berkoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,458,529 residents.
How common is Berkoff?
Berkoff ranks #95,461 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 205 people with the surname Berkoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (235), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Berkoff.
Has Berkoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berkoff went from 213 recorded bearers to 205. That is a decrease of 8 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #87,335 to #95,461.
What does the Census say about the background of Berkoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Berkoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (177 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berkoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Berkoff (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 Berkoff mean?
A variant spelling of a locational surname of Russian Jewish origin referring to someone from Berdichev. 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 Berkoff (0.07 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 Berkoff?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Berkoff at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.