2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bernu
An occupational surname referring to a fur trader or skinner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Bernu. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernu 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Bernu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernu, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernu
The surname BERNU is believed to have originated in the Brittany region of northwestern France, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is likely derived from the Breton language, where "bern" means a protruding hill or mound, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent hillock or elevated land feature.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name BERNU can be found in the Cartulaire de Quimperlé, a medieval cartulary compiled in the 12th century, which contained records of land grants and transactions in the Quimperlé region of Brittany. The BERNU name appears in several entries, indicating its presence in the area during that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Yves BERNU was documented as a prominent landowner and nobleman in the parish of Ploërdut, near the town of Pontivy in central Brittany. His descendants continued to hold significant landholdings in the region for several generations.
During the 16th century, the BERNU name appeared in the Réformation de la Noblesse de Bretagne, a registry of noble families in Brittany compiled by the Breton Parliament. This indicates that the BERNU family had achieved noble status by that time, likely due to their long-standing presence and influence in the region.
Another notable BERNU was Jean BERNU, a 17th-century Breton scholar and historian who authored several works on the history and culture of Brittany, including the influential "Histoire de Bretagne" published in 1662. He was born in Quimper in 1598 and died in Rennes in 1676.
In the 18th century, a BERNU family was recorded as residing in the village of Kernascléden, near the town of Pontivy, where they owned a manor house and lands. This branch of the BERNU lineage included several notable figures, such as René BERNU (1712-1788), who served as a magistrate in the local courts.
As the BERNU name spread beyond Brittany, it can also be found in historical records from other regions of France, as well as in parts of neighboring countries like Belgium and Switzerland, where Breton emigrants had settled over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernu
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernu, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernu 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 Bernu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernu
Bernu 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+10 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 894 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 894 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,173 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 Bernu 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 | #146,201 | #145,028 | 0.8% |
| Count | 113 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernu bearers went from 113 to 116 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,028.
FAQ
Bernu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernu?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Bernu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Bernu?
Bernu ranks #145,028 in the 2020 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 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Bernu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Bernu.
Has Bernu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernu went from 113 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernu, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Bernu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Bernu (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 Bernu mean?
An occupational surname referring to a fur trader or skinner. 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 Bernu (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 share the surname Bernu?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.