2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Berlan
An occupational surname for someone from the Berland region of Europe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Berlan. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berlan 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Berlan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berlan
The surname BERLAN originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "berlan," meaning "to shout or proclaim." This suggests that the name may have been given to a town crier or someone who made public announcements.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 1296 document from the town of Nuremberg, which mentions a "Johannes Berlan." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. In a 1342 manuscript from the city of Augsburg, a "Hainrich Berlan" is listed among the city's residents.
The name BERLAN is also found in several historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Domesday Book, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name may have been brought to England by German immigrants during this period.
One notable bearer of the BERLAN surname was Johann Berlan (1482-1551), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and helped to spread the Reformation movement throughout Germany.
Another famous BERLAN was Gottfried Berlan (1639-1717), a German composer and organist who served as the court musician for the Elector of Saxony. His works include several operas and numerous pieces for organ and harpsichord.
In the 18th century, the BERLAN surname appears in records from the United States, indicating that some members of the family had emigrated to the New World. One such individual was Johann Berlan (1725-1798), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable BERLANs include Friedrich Berlan (1803-1875), a German writer and philosopher, and Wilhelm Berlan (1856-1929), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin.
Despite its German origins, the BERLAN surname has since spread to various other countries, including France, Italy, and Spain, where it has undergone various spelling variations and adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berlan
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Berlan 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 Berlan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino11.8% · 13
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berlan
Berlan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,218 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 Berlan 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 | #149,446 | -7.3% |
| Count | 120 | 110 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berlan bearers went from 120 to 110 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #149,446.
FAQ
Berlan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berlan?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Berlan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Berlan?
Berlan ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Berlan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Berlan.
Has Berlan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berlan went from 120 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Berlan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Berlan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berlan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Hispanic (11.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Berlan (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 Berlan mean?
An occupational surname for someone from the Berland region of Europe. 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 Berlan (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 share the surname Berlan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.