2000
#205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129,405
First available Census row
Per 100,000 47.97
Common Last name
Berry
An English surname referring to someone who lived near or gathered berries, or had a complexion like a berry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 146,142 Americans carry the last name Berry. That puts it at #231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 42.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,345 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berry 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Berry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
146K
1 in 2,345
Census rank
#231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
42.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
127K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 127,443 bearers of the surname Berry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 42.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berry, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berry
The surname Berry is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derived from the Old English words 'berien' or 'byri', meaning a hill or small eminence. It was a topographic name given to someone who lived on or near a hill or elevated land.
The name first appeared in records in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled 'Beri'.
During the Middle Ages, the name was widespread in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. Some early bearers of the name included John atte Bery (1279) from Bedfordshire and William de la Bery (1327) from Oxfordshire.
As surnames became hereditary, the name evolved into different spellings such as Berie, Bery, Berye, and eventually the modern form of Berry. Place names like Berry Pomeroy in Devon and Berry Hill in Gloucestershire may have influenced the spelling variations.
Notable individuals with the surname Berry throughout history include Richard Berry (c.1535-1612), an English clergyman and writer; John Berry (1638-1691), an English lawyer and politician; James Berry (1768-1848), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars; Martha Berry (1865-1942), an American educator and philanthropist who founded Berry College in Georgia; and Sir Ralph Berry (1891-1969), a British civil servant and diplomat.
The name Berry has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from clergymen and lawyers to military officers and educators. Its origins as a topographic name reflecting the landscape make it a lasting reminder of the ancestral homelands of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berry
Among Census respondents with the surname Berry, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Berry 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 Berry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.8% · 86,466
- Black or African American22.6% · 28,857
- Two or more races4.6% · 5,822
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4,369
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,046
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 883
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berry
Berry 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
#222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132,812
+3,407 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 45.02
Rank movement Down 17 places
2020
#231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127,443
-5,369 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 42.64
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #205 | 129,405 | 47.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #222 | 132,812 | 45.02 | +3,407 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 17 places |
| 2020 | #231 | 127,443 | 42.64 | -5,369 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 9 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 Berry 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 | #222 | #231 | -4.1% |
| Count | 132,812 | 127,443 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 45.02 | 42.64 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berry bearers went from 132,812 to 127,443 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #222 to #231.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Berry
FAQ
Berry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berry?
Name Census estimates that about 146,142 living Americans carry the surname Berry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,345 residents.
How common is Berry?
Berry ranks #231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 42.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 43 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 127,443 people with the surname Berry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (146,142), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 42.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 42.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 43 of them to have the surname Berry.
Has Berry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berry went from 132,812 recorded bearers to 127,443. That is a decrease of 5,369 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #222 to #231.
What does the Census say about the background of Berry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berry, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Berry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.8% (86,466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.8%), Black (22.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Berry (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 Berry mean?
An English surname referring to someone who lived near or gathered berries, or had a complexion like a berry. 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 Berry (42.64 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 Berry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.