2000
#42,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 486
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Bertholf
A surname derived from the Germanic personal names "Bertolf" or "Bertulf", meaning "bright wolf".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 727 Americans carry the last name Bertholf. That puts it at #37,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 471,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bertholf 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
727
1 in 471,464
Census rank
#37,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
634
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 634 bearers of the surname Bertholf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertholf, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bertholf
The surname Bertholf originated in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "beraht" meaning "bright" and "wolf" which was a common name element, translating to "bright wolf" or "illustrious wolf".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century, which mentions a "Bertholfus de Moguntia" (Bertholf of Mainz).
During the Middle Ages, the name Bertholf was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony and Bavaria. It is also found in various medieval records, such as the Annales Fuldenses, a 9th-century chronicle from the Frankish Empire, which mentions a "Bertholfus comes" (Count Bertholf).
The name Bertholf is derived from the same root as the place name Bertholfsheim, a town in Bavaria that was first mentioned in historical records in the 13th century. This suggests that the surname may have originated as a locational name for someone who hailed from this area.
Notable historical figures with the surname Bertholf include:
1. Bertholf von Andechs (c. 1165 - 1251), a German noble and Count of Andechs.
2. Bertholf von Henneberg (c. 1250 - 1305), a German nobleman and Archbishop of Mainz.
3. Bertholf von Schwarzburg (c. 1290 - 1349), a German nobleman and knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
4. Bertholf von Biberach (c. 1400 - 1474), a German Dominican friar and theologian.
5. Bertholf von Büren (c. 1490 - 1557), a German soldier and military commander during the Reformation era.
While the surname Bertholf originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bertholf
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertholf, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bertholf 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 Bertholf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 547
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 31
- Two or more races4.9% · 31
- Black or African American2.1% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bertholf
Bertholf 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
#36,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 605
+119 bearers (+24.5%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 5,156 places
2020
#37,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 634
+29 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 818 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,056 | 486 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,900 | 605 | 0.21 | +119 bearers (+24.5%) | Up 5,156 places |
| 2020 | #37,718 | 634 | 0.21 | +29 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 818 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 Bertholf 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 | #36,900 | #37,718 | -2.2% |
| Count | 605 | 634 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bertholf bearers went from 605 to 634 (+4.8% change). The surname moved down 818 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,900 to #37,718.
FAQ
Bertholf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bertholf?
Name Census estimates that about 727 living Americans carry the surname Bertholf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 471,464 residents.
How common is Bertholf?
Bertholf ranks #37,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 634 people with the surname Bertholf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Bertholf.
Has Bertholf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bertholf went from 605 recorded bearers to 634. That is an increase of 29 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #36,900 to #37,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Bertholf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertholf, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Bertholf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (547 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bertholf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Bertholf (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 Bertholf mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic personal names "Bertolf" or "Bertulf", meaning "bright wolf". 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 Bertholf (0.21 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 Bertholf?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.