Find out how popular the last name Berner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Berner.

Berner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Berner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Berner in America

Berner is the 6949th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Berner surname appeared 4,826 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Berner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Berner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Berner

The surname Berner originates from the German-speaking regions of Switzerland and southern Germany. It is derived from the Old High German word "bern," meaning "bear," and was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with bear-like characteristics or associations.

The name first appeared in historical records in the 12th century, with a mention of a family named Berner residing in the city of Bern, Switzerland. This city's name is also derived from the word "bern," indicating a possible connection between the surname and the place.

In the 13th century, the Berner family played a significant role in the Swiss struggle for independence against the Habsburgs. Ulrich Berner, born around 1240, was a prominent figure in this conflict and is mentioned in various chronicles of the time.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname Berner became more widespread across southern Germany and Switzerland. Several notable individuals with this surname emerged, including Johannes Berner, a scholar and theologian from Nuremberg, who lived from 1389 to 1456.

In the 16th century, the name Berner appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the Zurich Family Book, which documented families in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. One notable entry was for the Berner family of goldsmiths, who were influential in the city's guild system.

The 17th century saw the rise of Hans Berner, a Swiss politician and diplomat who served as the mayor of Bern from 1653 to 1655. His contributions to the city's governance and foreign relations were significant during this period.

In the 18th century, Johann Balthasar Berner, born in 1745 in Basel, Switzerland, gained recognition as a renowned painter and engraver. His works, depicting landscapes and historical scenes, were highly regarded in his time.

The 19th century brought forth Friedrich Wilhelm Berner, a German botanist and naturalist, born in 1780 in Oldenburg. He authored several significant works on the flora of Germany and made valuable contributions to the field of botany.

Throughout its history, the surname Berner has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Bernher, Bernar, and Bärnär, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Berner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Berner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Berner was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Berner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Berner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Berner, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!