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

Berns, 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 Berns surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Berns in America

Berns is the 10268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Berns surname appeared 3,139 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 Berns.

We can also compare 2010 data for Berns 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 Berns

The surname BERNS is of German origin and is believed to have first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Born," which means "stream" or "spring." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive one, referring to someone who lived near a stream or spring.

The earliest recorded instances of the name BERNS can be found in various historical documents from regions in what is now modern-day Germany. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Sachsenspiegel, a medieval legal code from the 13th century, which mentions individuals with the surname BERNS.

In the 15th century, a man named Hans BERNS was born in the town of Nuremberg, Germany, and is documented as being a prominent merchant and trader during that time. Another notable individual with this surname was Johann BERNS, a scholar and theologian from the 16th century, who was born in the city of Wittenberg and was a contemporary of Martin Luther.

The name BERNS is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Bernsdorf, a village in Saxony, and Bernsburg, a town in Saxony-Anhalt. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in those regions.

Throughout history, several other individuals with the surname BERNS have made notable contributions in various fields. For example, Friedrich BERNS (1858-1923) was a German writer and poet known for his works on rural life and nature. Another notable figure was Ernst BERNS (1889-1961), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.

It is worth mentioning that variations of the spelling of the surname BERNS exist, such as Bern, Behrens, and Berens, which may have originated from different regional dialects or linguistic influences over time.

The surname BERNS remains a prominent one in Germany and other parts of Europe, with a rich history dating back several centuries. Its origins and evolution reflect the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the German language and society over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Berns

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

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

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

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