2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Berthet
A French topographic surname referring to a person living near a barbed wire fence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Berthet. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berthet 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Berthet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berthet, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berthet
The surname BERTHET originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the ancient Germanic personal name Berthold, which is composed of the elements "beraht" meaning "bright" and "waltan" meaning "to rule." The name likely spread throughout France during the early medieval period.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as Berthot, Berthoz, and Berthoud in various regional dialects of France. It may have evolved from the Old French word "bert," which meant "bright" or "shining." The name is found in some of the earliest French records and manuscripts from the 12th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Jean Berthet, a merchant who lived in Lyon, France in the late 15th century. Another early bearer of the name was Pierre Berthet, a soldier who fought in the French Wars of Religion in the 16th century.
The Berthet surname is also associated with several place names in France, such as Berthet-en-Beaujolais and Berthet-sur-Saône, indicating that some branches of the family may have taken their name from these locations.
Notable individuals with the Berthet surname include:
1. Jacques Berthet (1606-1688), a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris.
2. Claude Berthet (1718-1783), a French painter and engraver known for his portraits and religious works.
3. Jean-Baptiste Berthet (1777-1851), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte.
4. Élie Berthet (1815-1891), a French novelist and playwright who wrote works such as "Les Catacombes de Paris" and "Le Parricide."
5. Émile Berthet (1834-1917), a French journalist and author who wrote several travel books and novels.
The Berthet surname has a long history in France, dating back to the Middle Ages, and has been associated with various notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berthet
Among Census respondents with the surname Berthet, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Berthet 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 Berthet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino17.2% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.1% · 8
- Two or more races7.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berthet
Berthet 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 2,427 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 Berthet 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 | #158,432 | #156,005 | 1.5% |
| Count | 102 | 99 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berthet bearers went from 102 to 99 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 2,427 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,005.
FAQ
Berthet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berthet?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Berthet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Berthet?
Berthet ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Berthet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Berthet.
Has Berthet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berthet went from 102 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Berthet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berthet, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%). 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 Berthet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berthet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Hispanic (17.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.1%). 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 Berthet (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 Berthet mean?
A French topographic surname referring to a person living near a barbed wire fence. 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 Berthet (0.03 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 Berthet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.