2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Berlekamp
Family name possibly derived from a place name in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Berlekamp. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berlekamp 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Berlekamp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlekamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berlekamp
The surname Berlekamp is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the German words 'Berlach' and 'Camp', which together refer to a meadow or field near a settlement. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname hailed from a rural area or village with such a landscape feature.
Records indicate that the Berlekamp name first appeared in the region of Westphalia, which is part of the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The earliest known mention of the name can be found in the Werdener Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the Werden Abbey, dating back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Henricus Berlekamp, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Werne in the late 14th century. His name appears in the Werdener Urkundenbuch, along with details of his land holdings and familial connections.
Another notable figure was Johann Berlekamp, a merchant and trader who lived in the city of Cologne during the 16th century. He was involved in the lucrative textile trade and is mentioned in several contemporary records, including the city's guild registers.
In the 17th century, the Berlekamp name gained prominence through the work of Christoph Berlekamp, a prominent Lutheran theologian and author. Born in 1633 in the town of Herford, he authored several scholarly works on theology and religious doctrine, which were widely read and influential during his time.
The 18th century saw the rise of Johann Friedrich Berlekamp, a renowned architect and urban planner. Born in 1729 in the town of Paderborn, he was responsible for designing several notable buildings and public spaces in cities across Germany, including the iconic Marktplatz in his hometown.
Another significant figure was Theodor Berlekamp, a pioneering industrialist who lived in the 19th century. Born in 1818 in the city of Dortmund, he founded a successful engineering firm that played a crucial role in the industrial revolution, manufacturing machinery and equipment for the rapidly growing mining and steel industries.
While the Berlekamp name has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with descendants of these early families making their mark in various fields and professions across different countries and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berlekamp
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlekamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Berlekamp 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 Berlekamp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berlekamp
Berlekamp 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-14 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 24,783 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+18 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,924 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 24,783 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 16,924 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 Berlekamp 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 | #159,712 | #142,788 | 10.6% |
| Count | 101 | 119 | 17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berlekamp bearers went from 101 to 119 (+17.8% change). The surname moved up 16,924 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #142,788.
FAQ
Berlekamp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berlekamp?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Berlekamp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Berlekamp?
Berlekamp ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Berlekamp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Berlekamp.
Has Berlekamp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berlekamp went from 101 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 18 (+17.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Berlekamp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlekamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Berlekamp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berlekamp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Berlekamp (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 Berlekamp mean?
Family name possibly derived from a place name in Germany. 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 Berlekamp (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 Berlekamp?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Berlekamp, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.