2000
#4,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,999
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.97
Rare Last name
Bertram
Derived from the Old German words for "bright" and "raven," indicating a person with dark, glossy hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,129 Americans carry the last name Bertram. That puts it at #4,314 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,546 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bertram 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bertram with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,546
Census rank
#4,314
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,961 bearers of the surname Bertram in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4314th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertram, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bertram
The surname Bertram has its origins in ancient France, tracing back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Bertram, which is composed of the elements "berht" meaning "bright" and "hram" meaning "raven." This name was often given to those with dark hair or complexion.
In the early medieval period, the name Bertram was particularly prevalent in Normandy, where it appears in various historical records and manuscripts from that time. One notable early reference is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Bertram is listed as holding lands in Wiltshire, England.
The earliest recorded spelling of the surname Bertram can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202, where a certain Robertus Bertram is mentioned. Over the centuries, the name has been subject to various orthographic variations, including Bertrame, Bertran, and Berthram.
Bertram has also been associated with several place names throughout history, such as Bertramingham in Norfolk, England, which was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Bertramingaham." This suggests that the name may have been adopted as a locative surname by those who hailed from these areas.
One of the earliest and most notable figures bearing the surname Bertram was Sir Roger Bertram (c. 1195-1242), a Norman knight who fought in the Barons' War against King John of England. Another prominent individual was Phillipus de Bertram (c. 1270-1344), a French scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Paris.
During the 14th century, a branch of the Bertram family settled in Scotland, where they became landowners in the county of Berwickshire. One of their descendants, Sir William Bertram (c. 1450-1510), served as the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland under King James IV.
In the literary realm, the name Bertram is associated with the English playwright and poet John Bertram (c. 1585-1639), who authored several plays and poems during the Jacobean era.
Another notable figure was Sir Roger Bertram (1672-1726), an English naval officer and Member of Parliament, who played a crucial role in the War of the Spanish Succession.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Bertram, reflecting its long and rich heritage spanning multiple countries and centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bertram
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertram, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bertram 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 Bertram surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 7,110
- Black or African American3.3% · 266
- Two or more races3.3% · 266
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 241
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bertram
Bertram 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
#4,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,369
+370 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#4,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,961
-408 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,096 | 7,999 | 2.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,236 | 8,369 | 2.84 | +370 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #4,314 | 7,961 | 2.66 | -408 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 78 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 Bertram 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 | #4,236 | #4,314 | -1.8% |
| Count | 8,369 | 7,961 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.84 | 2.66 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bertram bearers went from 8,369 to 7,961 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,236 to #4,314.
FAQ
Bertram surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bertram?
Name Census estimates that about 9,129 living Americans carry the surname Bertram. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,546 residents.
How common is Bertram?
Bertram ranks #4,314 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,961 people with the surname Bertram. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,129), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bertram.
Has Bertram become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bertram went from 8,369 recorded bearers to 7,961. That is a decrease of 408 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,236 to #4,314.
What does the Census say about the background of Bertram?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertram, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bertram in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (7,110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bertram appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Black (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Bertram (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 Bertram mean?
Derived from the Old German words for "bright" and "raven," indicating a person with dark, glossy hair. 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 Bertram (2.66 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 Bertram?
See how many Americans have the surname Bertram on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.