2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bernarding
Originally denoting a person from the town of Bernarding.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Bernarding. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernarding 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Bernarding in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernarding, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernarding
The surname BERNARDING has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the old German words "bern," meaning bear, and "ding," meaning a thing or place, possibly referring to a bear-like person or someone from a place associated with bears.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Bernarding is mentioned as a merchant in 1387. The name also appears in various legal documents and property deeds from the region during the late medieval period.
As the name spread across different parts of Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as Bernardin, Bernarding, and Bernharding. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects or scribal errors in transcribing the name over time.
In the 16th century, the BERNARDING name gained prominence with the scholar and humanist Johann Bernarding (1508-1564), who hailed from the town of Peine in Lower Saxony. He was a renowned theologian and author of several influential works on religious philosophy.
Another notable figure bearing the BERNARDING surname was Gottfried Bernarding (1670-1728), a German composer and organist who served at various churches in Hamburg and Lübeck. His compositions, particularly his choral works, were highly regarded during the Baroque period.
The name also found its way into the world of literature with the German author and poet Christoph Bernarding (1629-1692), who wrote several plays and satirical works that were popular in his time.
In the 19th century, Carl Friedrich Bernarding (1818-1889) was a prominent German businessman and industrialist who played a key role in the development of the steel industry in the Ruhr region.
Another figure of note was Wilhelm Bernarding (1871-1946), a German explorer and anthropologist who conducted extensive research on the indigenous cultures of South America and published several accounts of his expeditions.
While the BERNARDING name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with descendants bearing the name found in various countries and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernarding
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernarding, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernarding 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 Bernarding surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 99
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernarding
Bernarding 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,781 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-7 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,054 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,781 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 3,054 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 Bernarding 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 | #152,628 | #155,682 | -2.0% |
| Count | 107 | 100 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernarding bearers went from 107 to 100 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 3,054 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #155,682.
FAQ
Bernarding surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernarding?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Bernarding. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Bernarding?
Bernarding ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Bernarding. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bernarding.
Has Bernarding become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernarding went from 107 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernarding?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernarding, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Bernarding in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernarding appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Bernarding (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 Bernarding mean?
Originally denoting a person from the town of Bernarding. 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 Bernarding (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Bernarding?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.