2000
#93,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Bernbaum
A surname of German origin meaning "bear tree" or "pear tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 167 Americans carry the last name Bernbaum. That puts it at #123,817 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,052,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernbaum 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
167
1 in 2,052,421
Census rank
#123,817
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
146
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 146 bearers of the surname Bernbaum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 123817th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernbaum
The surname Bernbaum is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German words "bern" meaning bear, and "baum" meaning tree. It is believed to have originated in the 14th century as a descriptive surname, likely referring to someone who lived near a bear tree or a tree frequented by bears.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Bernbaum can be found in the Würzburg archives, dated 1387, where a certain Hans Bernbaum is listed as a resident of the city. In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the regions of Bavaria and Franconia, with slight variations in spelling such as Bernbawm and Bernbaumb.
One notable figure with the surname Bernbaum was Johann Bernbaum, a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg who lived from 1620 to 1687. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and his legacy as a master craftsman is well documented in the historical records of the city.
In the 18th century, the name Bernbaum appears in the records of the town of Bamberg, where a family of tanners and leatherworkers carried the surname for several generations. One of their descendants, Friedrich Bernbaum, born in 1764, was a respected scholar and linguist who published several works on the Germanic languages.
Another notable figure was Alois Bernbaum, a military officer who served in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Born in 1832 in Innsbruck, he was awarded the prestigious Maria Theresa Order for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
During the 19th century, the Bernbaum surname spread beyond the German-speaking regions as families emigrated to various parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Karl Bernbaum, born in 1858 in Leipzig, who became a renowned architect and designed several iconic buildings in Vienna, including the famous Künstlerhaus.
While the surname Bernbaum is not as common today as it once was in its regions of origin, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of German surnames, with a history that reflects the cultural and linguistic traditions of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernbaum
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernbaum 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 Bernbaum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernbaum
Bernbaum 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
#109,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
-19 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,417 places
2020
#123,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
-16 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 14,559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #93,841 | 181 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #109,258 | 162 | 0.05 | -19 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 15,417 places |
| 2020 | #123,817 | 146 | 0.05 | -16 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 14,559 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 Bernbaum 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 | #109,258 | #123,817 | -13.3% |
| Count | 162 | 146 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernbaum bearers went from 162 to 146 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 14,559 positions in the national ranking, going from #109,258 to #123,817.
FAQ
Bernbaum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernbaum?
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the surname Bernbaum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,052,421 residents.
How common is Bernbaum?
Bernbaum ranks #123,817 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 146 people with the surname Bernbaum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Bernbaum.
Has Bernbaum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernbaum went from 162 recorded bearers to 146. That is a decrease of 16 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #109,258 to #123,817.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernbaum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Bernbaum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (143 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernbaum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Bernbaum (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 Bernbaum mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "bear tree" or "pear tree." 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 Bernbaum (0.05 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 Bernbaum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.