2000
#4,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.62
Rare Last name
Bernhardt
A German surname derived from the personal name Bernhard, meaning "strong or brave as a bear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,869 Americans carry the last name Bernhardt. That puts it at #4,961 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernhardt 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 Bernhardt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,558
Census rank
#4,961
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,862 bearers of the surname Bernhardt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4961st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernhardt
The surname Bernhardt is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Bernhard, which is composed of the elements "bern" meaning bear and "hard" meaning brave or hardy. This name was originally a descriptive nickname given to someone who was considered brave or hardy like a bear.
In its earliest form, the surname was spelled as "Bernhart" or "Bernhard". It first appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the 12th and 13th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Bernhard von Clairvaux, a French abbot and monastic reformer who lived from 1090 to 1153.
The Bernhardt surname can be found in various medieval charters and documents from regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Franconia in Germany. It was also present in the Domesday Book, a famous medieval census compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, which recorded landholders in England after the Norman Conquest.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Bernhard, Bernhardt, and Bernhart, with the modern spelling "Bernhardt" becoming more common in the 18th and 19th centuries. Notable historical figures with this surname include Theodor von Bernhardi (1802-1887), a Prussian military theorist, and Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), a famous French actress.
Other prominent individuals with the Bernhardt surname include Heinrich Bernhardt (1608-1684), a German composer and organist, Karl Bernhardt (1838-1923), a German landscape painter, and Hans Bernhardt (1888-1942), a German naval officer and U-boat commander during World War I. Additionally, Georg Bernhardt (1892-1963) was a German physicist known for his contributions to the development of radar technology.
The Bernhardt surname has a rich history dating back to medieval times, originating from a descriptive nickname that became a hereditary surname. Over the centuries, it has been carried by notable individuals from various fields, reflecting its enduring presence across different regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernhardt
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernhardt 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 Bernhardt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 6,191
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 292
- Two or more races3.3% · 226
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 57
- Black or African American0.8% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernhardt
Bernhardt 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
#4,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,253
+185 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 266 places
2020
#4,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,862
-391 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,594 | 7,068 | 2.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,860 | 7,253 | 2.46 | +185 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 266 places |
| 2020 | #4,961 | 6,862 | 2.30 | -391 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 101 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 Bernhardt 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 | #4,860 | #4,961 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,253 | 6,862 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.30 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernhardt bearers went from 7,253 to 6,862 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,860 to #4,961.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bernhardt
FAQ
Bernhardt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernhardt?
Name Census estimates that about 7,869 living Americans carry the surname Bernhardt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,558 residents.
How common is Bernhardt?
Bernhardt ranks #4,961 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.30 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 6,862 people with the surname Bernhardt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,869), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.30 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 Bernhardt.
Has Bernhardt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernhardt went from 7,253 recorded bearers to 6,862. That is a decrease of 391 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,860 to #4,961.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernhardt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Bernhardt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (6,191 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernhardt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Bernhardt (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 Bernhardt mean?
A German surname derived from the personal name Bernhard, meaning "strong or brave as a bear." 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 Bernhardt (2.30 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 have the surname Bernhardt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.