2000
#4,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,412
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.75
Rare Last name
Berryman
An occupational surname referring to a harvester or seller of berries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,145 Americans carry the last name Berryman. That puts it at #4,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,082 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berryman 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 Berryman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,082
Census rank
#4,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,103 bearers of the surname Berryman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berryman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berryman
The surname Berryman has its origins in England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "berie" meaning berry and "man" referring to a person. The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who gathered or sold berries, or possibly lived near a prominent berry patch or bushes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Berryman surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Richard Berieman is listed. The variant spelling "Beryman" can also be found in records from the 14th century in counties like Staffordshire and Shropshire.
In the 15th century, the surname is found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire, where a John Beryman is recorded in the village of Ripley in 1672. The name may have connections to the nearby village of Berry, suggesting a potential locational influence on the surname's development.
A notable early bearer of the Berryman name was John Berryman (c.1480-1548), a wealthy merchant and alderman from the city of Bristol. He served as Mayor of Bristol in 1539 and played a significant role in the city's governance during the Tudor period.
Another historically prominent Berryman was Thomas Berryman (1695-1766), an English painter and engraver known for his portraits and landscapes. His works can be found in collections such as the National Portrait Gallery in London.
In the 18th century, the Berryman surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One noteworthy figure from this time was John Berryman (1718-1793), a Scottish clergyman and author who served as the Minister of Campsie Parish in Stirlingshire.
As the British Empire expanded, the Berryman name was carried to various colonies and territories. In the 19th century, Arthur Berryman (1821-1895) was a prominent businessman and politician in the Colony of New South Wales, Australia, where he served as a member of the Legislative Council.
Another distinguished bearer of the Berryman surname was John Berryman (1914-1972), an American poet and scholar who taught at the University of Minnesota and won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1965 for his work "77 Dream Songs."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berryman
Among Census respondents with the surname Berryman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Berryman 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 Berryman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 5,439
- Black or African American14.5% · 1,033
- Two or more races4.3% · 306
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 241
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berryman
Berryman 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
#4,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,517
+105 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 291 places
2020
#4,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,103
-414 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,426 | 7,412 | 2.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,717 | 7,517 | 2.55 | +105 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 291 places |
| 2020 | #4,823 | 7,103 | 2.38 | -414 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 106 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 Berryman 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 | #4,717 | #4,823 | -2.2% |
| Count | 7,517 | 7,103 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.55 | 2.38 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berryman bearers went from 7,517 to 7,103 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,717 to #4,823.
FAQ
Berryman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berryman?
Name Census estimates that about 8,145 living Americans carry the surname Berryman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,082 residents.
How common is Berryman?
Berryman ranks #4,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.38 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 7,103 people with the surname Berryman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,145), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.38 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 Berryman.
Has Berryman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berryman went from 7,517 recorded bearers to 7,103. That is a decrease of 414 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,717 to #4,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Berryman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berryman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Berryman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (5,439 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berryman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Berryman (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 Berryman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a harvester or seller of berries. 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 Berryman (2.38 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 Berryman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.