2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bertelmann
A German surname likely derived from a place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Bertelmann. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bertelmann 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Bertelmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertelmann, the largest self-reported group is Two or More Races at 34.9%. The next largest groups are White (28.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (28.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bertelmann
The surname Bertelmann is of German origin, with roots that can be traced back to the medieval period in central Europe. It is believed to have originated from the personal name Barthel, which was a diminutive form of the name Bartholomew.
In the early stages of surname formation, it was common for people to adopt surnames derived from their given names or those of their ancestors. The suffix "-mann" was often added to these names, indicating a person or someone associated with a particular individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bertelmann can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in the region.
The name Bertelmann is also closely linked to various place names in Germany, such as Bertelsmann, a small town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is possible that the surname originated from this or a similar location, indicating the place of origin or residence of the family.
Notable individuals with the surname Bertelmann throughout history include Johann Bertelmann (1537-1607), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Brandenburg. Another prominent figure was Gottfried Bertelmann (1675-1743), a German theologian and author of several religious treatises.
In the 19th century, Karl Bertelmann (1811-1887) was a renowned German architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Berlin. Friedrich Bertelmann (1856-1921) was a German politician and member of the Reichstag, representing the Social Democratic Party.
One of the most well-known individuals with this surname was Reinhard Mohn (born Reinhard Bertelmann, 1901-2009), a German entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Bertelsmann media conglomerate, one of the largest media companies in the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bertelmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertelmann, the largest self-reported group is Two or More Races at 34.9%. The next largest groups are White (28.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (28.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bertelmann 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 Bertelmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Two or more races34.9% · 37
- White28.3% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander28.3% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bertelmann
Bertelmann appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,705 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 Bertelmann 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 | #156,044 | #152,339 | 2.4% |
| Count | 104 | 106 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bertelmann bearers went from 104 to 106 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #152,339.
FAQ
Bertelmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bertelmann?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Bertelmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Bertelmann?
Bertelmann ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Bertelmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Bertelmann.
Has Bertelmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bertelmann went from 104 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Bertelmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertelmann, the largest self-reported group is Two or More Races at 34.9%. The next largest groups are White (28.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (28.3%). 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?
Two or More Races is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bertelmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.9% (37 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bertelmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Two or More Races (34.9%), White (28.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (28.3%). 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 Bertelmann (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 Bertelmann mean?
A German surname likely derived from a place name or location. 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 Bertelmann (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 have the surname Bertelmann?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.