2000
#11,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,651
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Berning
Derived from a Germanic personal name, Berno, meaning "bear" or referring to someone who lived near a barn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,085 Americans carry the last name Berning. That puts it at #11,235 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,104 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berning 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
3.1K
1 in 111,104
Census rank
#11,235
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,690 bearers of the surname Berning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11235th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berning, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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earliest recorded instances of the name Berning can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 12th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berning
Among Census respondents with the surname Berning, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Berning 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 Berning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 2,548
- Two or more races2.6% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berning
Berning 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
#10,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,894
+243 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 16 places
2020
#11,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,690
-204 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 248 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,003 | 2,651 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,987 | 2,894 | 0.98 | +243 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 16 places |
| 2020 | #11,235 | 2,690 | 0.90 | -204 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 248 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 Berning 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 | #10,987 | #11,235 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,894 | 2,690 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.90 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berning bearers went from 2,894 to 2,690 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 248 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,987 to #11,235.
FAQ
Berning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berning?
Name Census estimates that about 3,085 living Americans carry the surname Berning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,104 residents.
How common is Berning?
Berning ranks #11,235 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,690 people with the surname Berning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Berning.
Has Berning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berning went from 2,894 recorded bearers to 2,690. That is a decrease of 204 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,987 to #11,235.
What does the Census say about the background of Berning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berning, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Berning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (2,548 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Berning (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 Berning mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name, Berno, meaning "bear" or referring to someone who lived near a barn. 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 Berning (0.90 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 common is the surname Berning?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Berning at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.