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

Bernhagen, 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 Bernhagen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bernhagen in America

Bernhagen is the 57234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bernhagen surname appeared 356 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bernhagen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bernhagen 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 Bernhagen

The surname Bernhagen is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old German words "bern" meaning "bear" and "hagen" meaning "enclosure" or "fenced area." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a bear's habitat or a hunting ground for bears.

In the early 13th century, the name Bernhagen appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia in central Germany. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus," a collection of historical documents from the former principality of Anhalt, dated around 1230.

The Bernhagen name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Heinrich Bernhagen, a prominent merchant and member of the guild in the city of Leipzig in the late 14th century (born circa 1355).

In the 16th century, Hans Bernhagen (1505-1573) was a renowned theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and served as a pastor in various churches in Saxony.

During the 17th century, Johann Bernhagen (1620-1692) was a respected jurist and legal scholar. He held the position of a judge at the Imperial Chamber Court in Speyer, one of the highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire at the time.

In the 18th century, the Bernhagen name gained prominence with Wilhelm Bernhagen (1735-1805), a highly regarded philosopher and academic who served as a professor at the University of Halle. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential during the Age of Enlightenment.

Another notable bearer of the Bernhagen name was Karl Bernhagen (1815-1878), a pioneering German-American civil engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early railroads and canal systems in the United States during the 19th century.

Throughout its history, the Bernhagen surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, particularly in central and eastern parts of the country. The name has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bernhagen

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

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 Bernhagen 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 Bernhagen 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 Bernhagen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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