2000
#5,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,607
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Berryhill
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hill covered with berry bushes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,437 Americans carry the last name Berryhill. That puts it at #5,918 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berryhill 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
6.4K
1 in 53,248
Census rank
#5,918
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,613 bearers of the surname Berryhill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5918th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berryhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berryhill
The surname Berryhill originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from a place name, likely referring to a hill or hillside where berries grew abundantly. The name can be traced back to the Old English words "berie" meaning berry and "hyll" meaning hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berryhill appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the name's spelling can be found, such as Berihyll, Beryhulle, and Beryhull. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions during that period.
Notably, the Berryhill surname has been associated with several prominent figures throughout history. One such figure was Sir John Berryhill (1570-1642), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by King James I in 1617.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Berryhill (1688-1754), a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the development of the tobacco trade between Scotland and Virginia in the early 18th century.
In the 19th century, Mary Berryhill (1823-1897) was a prominent educator and advocate for women's education in the United States. She founded the Berryhill Female Seminary in Virginia, which provided educational opportunities for young women during a time when access to higher education was limited for women.
The name Berryhill has also been linked to various place names, such as Berryhill Village in Staffordshire, England, and Berryhill Creek in North Carolina, United States, suggesting the name's geographic origins and potential connections to specific locations.
Another notable figure with the Berryhill surname was John Berryhill (1865-1935), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma in the early 20th century.
While the Berryhill surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and settlement in various countries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berryhill
Among Census respondents with the surname Berryhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Berryhill 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 Berryhill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 4,114
- Black or African American12.9% · 723
- Two or more races5.1% · 289
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.9% · 274
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berryhill
Berryhill 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
#5,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,733
+126 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 320 places
2020
#5,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,613
-120 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Up 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,676 | 5,607 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,996 | 5,733 | 1.94 | +126 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 320 places |
| 2020 | #5,918 | 5,613 | 1.88 | -120 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 78 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 Berryhill 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 | #5,996 | #5,918 | 1.3% |
| Count | 5,733 | 5,613 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.88 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berryhill bearers went from 5,733 to 5,613 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,996 to #5,918.
FAQ
Berryhill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berryhill?
Name Census estimates that about 6,437 living Americans carry the surname Berryhill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,248 residents.
How common is Berryhill?
Berryhill ranks #5,918 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,613 people with the surname Berryhill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,437), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Berryhill.
Has Berryhill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berryhill went from 5,733 recorded bearers to 5,613. That is a decrease of 120 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,996 to #5,918.
What does the Census say about the background of Berryhill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berryhill, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Berryhill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (4,114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berryhill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (12.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Berryhill (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 Berryhill mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hill covered with berry bushes. 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 Berryhill (1.88 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 last name Berryhill?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Berryhill, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.