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

Berning, 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 Berning surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Berning in America

Berning is the 10987th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Berning surname appeared 2,894 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Berning.

We can also compare 2010 data for Berning 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 Berning

The surname Berning has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "bern," which means "bear." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who possessed bear-like qualities or lived in an area associated with bears.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berning can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. This indicates that the name was already established in the region during that period.

In the 13th century, the name Berning appeared in various medieval records, such as the Annales Colonienses Maximi, which chronicled events in the city of Cologne. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by that time.

During the 14th century, the Berning family was mentioned in several municipal records in the town of Erfurt, located in present-day Thuringia, Germany. This provides evidence of the name's continued presence and significance in the region.

One notable individual bearing the surname Berning was Johannes Berning, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1483 to 1548. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and authored several influential works on theology and ethics.

Another individual of historical significance was Heinrich Berning, a German architect who lived from 1619 to 1684. He is known for his contributions to the design and construction of several churches and buildings in the Baroque style, particularly in the city of Dresden.

In the 18th century, Johann Heinrich Berning (1743-1817) was a German painter and engraver who achieved recognition for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from the regions of Saxony and Thuringia.

During the 19th century, Carl Friedrich Berning (1824-1878) was a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and played a role in the unification of Germany under Otto von Bismarck.

Lastly, Max Berning (1903-1981) was a German film director and screenwriter who worked in the German film industry during the 1930s and 1940s, known for his contributions to the genre of mountain films (Bergfilme).

While the surname Berning has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with connections to Old High German language and cultural references to bears.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Berning

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Berning, 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!