Bernklau
A surname possibly derived from a German place name related to the word "Barn" meaning child.
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Bernklau. That puts it at #138,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernklau 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.
Bernklau appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#138,741
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Bernklau in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 138741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernklau, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernklau
The surname Bernklau is of German origin, dating back several centuries. Its roots can be traced to the regions of Bavaria and possibly Thuringia in the southern and central parts of Germany. The name appears to be a compound of two elements: "Bern" and "Klau." "Bern" may derive from the old Germanic word "bero" meaning bear, symbolizing strength and courage. The element "Klau" might come from "klauen," which in Middle High German means claws, likely indicating someone with the qualities symbolized by bear's claws, such as strength and tenacity.
The surname Bernklau may have originated as a descriptive name given to individuals who were known for their strength or abilities in battle. Historical references to Bernklau can be found in medieval records from the 14th century onwards. However, the name does not appear in the earliest comprehensive surveys such as the Domesday Book, which primarily recorded lands in England.
The earliest recorded example of the surname Bernklau appears in a Bavarian tax record from 1372, where a Johannes Bernklau is listed as a landowner. This suggests that the family was of some means and had established themselves in the region. Over time, variations in spelling have been documented, such as Bernclau and Bernklav, mainly due to inconsistent record-keeping and regional dialects.
Among historical figures bearing the surname Bernklau is Heinrich Bernklau, born in 1542 and known for his role as a local magistrate in Nuremberg. Another notable individual was Ludwig Bernklau, an accomplished guild master and silversmith in Augsburg during the late 17th century, whose works are displayed in local museums.
In the 19th century, one prominent Bernklau was Karl Friedrich Bernklau, born in 1821, who was an influential industrialist in the city of Munich and contributed significantly to the local economy. Another individual, Anna Bernklau, born in 1875, became known for her pioneering work in education reform in Bavaria.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Wilhelm Bernklau, born in 1898, rose to prominence as a journalist and author, known for his detailed chronicles of Bavarian cultural history. His works remain a valuable resource for historians studying the region.
The surname has likely evolved alongside the families bearing it, moving and adapting throughout generations. While its usage may seem rare today, the name Bernklau carries with it a rich legacy of historical and cultural significance in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernklau
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernklau, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%.
The bar chart below shows how Bernklau bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Bernklau surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4%
- Unknown or suppressed3.6%
FAQ
Bernklau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernklau?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Bernklau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Bernklau?
Bernklau ranks #138,741 in the 2000 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2000 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Bernklau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bernklau.
Has Bernklau become more or less common over time?
Bernklau appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernklau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernklau, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. These figures come from the 2000 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 Bernklau in the 2000 Census, accounting for 96.4%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernklau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are White (96.4%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Bernklau appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Bernklau mean?
A surname possibly derived from a German place name related to the word "Barn" meaning child. 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 2000 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 Bernklau (0.04 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 Bernklau?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.