2000
#4,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,259
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.69
Rare Last name
Berlin
A toponymic surname denoting someone from the city of Berlin, Germany, or any of several other places named Berlin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,121 Americans carry the last name Berlin. That puts it at #4,836 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,206 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berlin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Berlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,206
Census rank
#4,836
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,082 bearers of the surname Berlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4836th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berlin
The surname BERLIN is of German origin, deriving from the name of the capital city of Germany. The name is thought to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name BERLIN is derived from the Old Polabian word 'berl', meaning 'swamp', referring to the area's geography in the early days of the settlement. It was also recorded as 'Berlijn' in Dutch and 'Berlino' in Italian during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name BERLIN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century. The name appears in reference to individuals residing in or originating from the city of Berlin.
Historically, the BERLIN surname was often associated with merchants, traders, and craftsmen who had moved from the city of Berlin to other parts of Europe. Some notable individuals bearing the BERLIN surname include:
1. Jacob BERLIN (1499-1566), a German merchant and financier, known for his involvement in the trade between Germany and the Netherlands.
2. Abraham BERLIN (1663-1735), a German-Dutch merchant and banker, who played a significant role in the establishment of the Dutch East India Company.
3. Johann BERLIN (1677-1749), a German painter and engraver, known for his religious and allegorical works.
4. Moses BERLIN (1809-1867), a German-American physician and writer, who published several works on medical topics.
5. Irving BERLIN (1888-1989), a renowned American composer and lyricist, best known for his contributions to musical theater and popular music, including classics like "White Christmas" and "God Bless America".
The BERLIN surname has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Berlin-Brandenburg, a former state in Prussia, and Berlin, Connecticut, a town in the United States named after the German city.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Berlin 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 Berlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 6,366
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 235
- Two or more races2.8% · 197
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 120
- Black or African American1.2% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berlin
Berlin 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
#4,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,503
+244 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#4,836
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,082
-421 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.37
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,501 | 7,259 | 2.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,729 | 7,503 | 2.54 | +244 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #4,836 | 7,082 | 2.37 | -421 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 107 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 Berlin 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 | #4,729 | #4,836 | -2.3% |
| Count | 7,503 | 7,082 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.54 | 2.37 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berlin bearers went from 7,503 to 7,082 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,729 to #4,836.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Berlin
FAQ
Berlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berlin?
Name Census estimates that about 8,121 living Americans carry the surname Berlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,206 residents.
How common is Berlin?
Berlin ranks #4,836 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,082 people with the surname Berlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,121), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Berlin.
Has Berlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berlin went from 7,503 recorded bearers to 7,082. That is a decrease of 421 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,729 to #4,836.
What does the Census say about the background of Berlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Berlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (6,366 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Berlin (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 Berlin mean?
A toponymic surname denoting someone from the city of Berlin, Germany, or any of several other places named Berlin. 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 Berlin (2.37 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 Berlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.