2000
#10,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,663
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Berthiaume
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "bright helmet" or "bright home."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,117 Americans carry the last name Berthiaume. That puts it at #11,141 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,963 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berthiaume 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
3.1K
1 in 109,963
Census rank
#11,141
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,718 bearers of the surname Berthiaume in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11141st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berthiaume, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berthiaume
The surname Berthiaume originated in France, specifically in the Normandy region, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French words "berth" or "bert," which mean "bright" or "illustrious," and "iaume," a variant of the Germanic name element "helm," meaning "protection" or "helmet." This combination of name elements suggests that the name Berthiaume was initially given to someone who was seen as a prominent or distinguished individual who provided protection or leadership.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berthiaume can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a medieval manuscript from the 13th century that documented the names of citizens in the city of Rouen, Normandy. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Berthiaume," "Berthiaulme," and "Berthiamme," reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations of the time.
During the Middle Ages, the Berthiaume family was known to have held lands and properties in the Normandy region, particularly in the vicinity of Rouen and the surrounding areas. Some notable individuals with this surname include Jean Berthiaume, a prominent merchant and landowner in Rouen during the 14th century, and Guillaume Berthiaume, a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Parlement de Normandie in the late 15th century.
As the name Berthiaume spread across France and beyond, it gained recognition in different regions. In the 17th century, a Berthiaume family was established in the Poitou region, where they owned a seigneury (a feudal estate) called Berthiaumerie. One of the notable members of this branch was Jean-Baptiste Berthiaume (1640-1712), a wealthy landowner and influential figure in the local community.
Another significant figure bearing the Berthiaume surname was Claude Berthiaume (1705-1776), a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader who played a vital role in the early exploration and mapping of the Canadian interior. He was born in Montreal, New France (now Quebec, Canada), and his expeditions contributed significantly to the expansion of French influence in the region.
Throughout history, the Berthiaume surname has also been associated with various professions and occupations, including military service, agriculture, and artistic pursuits. For example, Pierre Berthiaume (1812-1892) was a renowned Canadian painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits, while Édouard Berthiaume (1879-1956) was a highly respected Canadian architect who designed numerous notable buildings in Montreal and other cities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berthiaume
Among Census respondents with the surname Berthiaume, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Berthiaume 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 Berthiaume surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,509
- Two or more races3.4% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 20
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berthiaume
Berthiaume 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
#11,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,814
+151 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 265 places
2020
#11,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,718
-96 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,964 | 2,663 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,229 | 2,814 | 0.95 | +151 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 265 places |
| 2020 | #11,141 | 2,718 | 0.91 | -96 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 88 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 Berthiaume 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 | #11,229 | #11,141 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,814 | 2,718 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.91 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berthiaume bearers went from 2,814 to 2,718 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,229 to #11,141.
FAQ
Berthiaume surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berthiaume?
Name Census estimates that about 3,117 living Americans carry the surname Berthiaume. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,963 residents.
How common is Berthiaume?
Berthiaume ranks #11,141 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,718 people with the surname Berthiaume. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Berthiaume.
Has Berthiaume become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berthiaume went from 2,814 recorded bearers to 2,718. That is a decrease of 96 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,229 to #11,141.
What does the Census say about the background of Berthiaume?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berthiaume, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Berthiaume in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berthiaume appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Berthiaume (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 Berthiaume mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "bright helmet" or "bright home." 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 Berthiaume (0.91 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 Berthiaume?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.