2000
#10,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,883
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Berns
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Bern, Switzerland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,173 Americans carry the last name Berns. That puts it at #10,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berns 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
3.2K
1 in 108,022
Census rank
#10,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,767 bearers of the surname Berns in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berns, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The earliest recorded instances of the name BERNS can be found in various historical documents from regions in what is now modern-day Germany.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berns
Among Census respondents with the surname Berns, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Berns 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 Berns surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,587
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 71
- Two or more races2.3% · 65
- Black or African American0.8% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berns
Berns 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
#10,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,139
+256 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 15 places
2020
#10,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,767
-372 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 713 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,253 | 2,883 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,268 | 3,139 | 1.06 | +256 bearers (+8.9%) | Down 15 places |
| 2020 | #10,981 | 2,767 | 0.93 | -372 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 713 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 Berns 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 | #10,268 | #10,981 | -6.9% |
| Count | 3,139 | 2,767 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.93 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berns bearers went from 3,139 to 2,767 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 713 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,268 to #10,981.
FAQ
Berns surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berns?
Name Census estimates that about 3,173 living Americans carry the surname Berns. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,022 residents.
How common is Berns?
Berns ranks #10,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,767 people with the surname Berns. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Berns.
Has Berns become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berns went from 3,139 recorded bearers to 2,767. That is a decrease of 372 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,268 to #10,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Berns?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berns, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Berns in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berns appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Berns (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 Berns mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Bern, Switzerland. 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 Berns (0.93 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 Americans have the surname Berns?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.