2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Bertles
A surname derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "bright" or "shining".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 158 Americans carry the last name Bertles. That puts it at #129,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,169,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bertles 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
158
1 in 2,169,331
Census rank
#129,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
138
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 138 bearers of the surname Bertles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 129045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertles, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bertles
The surname BERTLES is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "beorht" meaning bright, and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow. Thus, BERTLES likely referred to someone who lived in a bright, open meadow or field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a Robert de Berteleys from Oxfordshire. Similar spellings from that era include Berteley, Bartelay, and Barteley. The name also appeared in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332, with a reference to a John Bertelet.
During the 14th century, the BERTLES surname was prominent in the county of Somerset. A notable figure was William BERTLES, who served as the Mayor of Taunton in 1386. Records from 1412 mention a John BERTLES, a landowner in the village of Nynehead.
In the 16th century, the BERTLES family had a strong presence in the county of Wiltshire. Thomas BERTLES (1521-1592) was a renowned lawyer and member of the Parliament of England. His son, William BERTLES (1553-1623), was a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Salisbury.
Moving into the 17th century, the BERTLES surname can be traced to the village of Broughton Gifford in Wiltshire. The parish records from 1642 mention a Henry BERTLES, who was a local farmer and landowner. Around this time, the name also appeared in the nearby town of Melksham, with a reference to a Richard BERTLES in 1654.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure was Samuel BERTLES (1744-1821), a prominent industrialist and inventor from the town of Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. He is credited with developing an early mechanical weaving machine, which contributed to the growth of the textile industry in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bertles
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertles, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bertles 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 Bertles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 130
- Two or more races3.6% · 5
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bertles
Bertles 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
#113,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
+2 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,638 places
2020
#129,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
-16 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #113,791 | 154 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 5,638 places |
| 2020 | #129,045 | 138 | 0.05 | -16 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 15,254 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 Bertles 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 | #113,791 | #129,045 | -13.4% |
| Count | 154 | 138 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bertles bearers went from 154 to 138 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 15,254 positions in the national ranking, going from #113,791 to #129,045.
FAQ
Bertles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bertles?
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the surname Bertles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,169,331 residents.
How common is Bertles?
Bertles ranks #129,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 138 people with the surname Bertles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (158), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Bertles.
Has Bertles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bertles went from 154 recorded bearers to 138. That is a decrease of 16 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #113,791 to #129,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Bertles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertles, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Bertles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bertles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (0.7%). 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 Bertles (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 Bertles mean?
A surname derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "bright" or "shining". 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 Bertles (0.05 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 common is the surname Bertles?
Want to know how many people are called Bertles? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.