2000
#5,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,887
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Berube
A French-Canadian occupational surname referring to a draper or cloth merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,550 Americans carry the last name Berube. That puts it at #5,830 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berube 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
6.5K
1 in 52,329
Census rank
#5,830
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,712 bearers of the surname Berube in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5830th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berube, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berube
The surname Berube originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French words "ber" and "rube," which together meant "red brook" or "red stream." This name likely referred to a geographical feature near the place where the original bearers of the name lived.
The earliest recorded instances of the Berube surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Normandy. One notable historical reference is found in the Livre des Bourgeois d'Arras, a manuscript from the late 13th century, which mentions a certain Jehan Berube among the citizens of the town of Arras.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Berrube, Berrube, and Berrubet, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. The earliest known ancestor with the surname is Guillaume Berube, who lived in the village of Bretteville-sur-Odon in the late 1300s.
As the Berube family expanded, they spread across different regions of France, and some members eventually settled in the French colonies of North America, particularly in Canada. One of the first recorded Berubes in Canada was Jacques Berube, who arrived in Quebec City in 1665.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Berube surname. These include:
1. Pierre Berube (1572-1638), a French explorer and fur trader who was one of the first Europeans to establish trade relationships with the indigenous peoples of Canada.
2. Jacques Berube (1610-1678), a French-Canadian farmer and one of the earliest settlers in the Beaupré region of Quebec.
3. Marguerite Berube (1677-1755), a French-Canadian woman who was captured by the Abenaki tribe during a raid in 1693 and lived among them for several years before being ransomed.
4. Jean-Baptiste Berube (1742-1810), a French-Canadian merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the development of the town of Kamouraska, Quebec.
5. Adolphe-Basile Routhier (1839-1920), a Canadian lawyer, judge, and author who published under the pseudonym "A. B. Routhier Berube."
The Berube surname has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple continents, reflecting the migration patterns and experiences of those who have carried this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berube
Among Census respondents with the surname Berube, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Berube 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 Berube surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 5,316
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 164
- Two or more races2.8% · 161
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 39
- Black or African American0.4% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berube
Berube 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
#5,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,067
+180 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 281 places
2020
#5,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,712
-355 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,435 | 5,887 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,716 | 6,067 | 2.06 | +180 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 281 places |
| 2020 | #5,830 | 5,712 | 1.91 | -355 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 114 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 Berube 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 | #5,716 | #5,830 | -2.0% |
| Count | 6,067 | 5,712 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 1.91 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berube bearers went from 6,067 to 5,712 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,716 to #5,830.
FAQ
Berube surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berube?
Name Census estimates that about 6,550 living Americans carry the surname Berube. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,329 residents.
How common is Berube?
Berube ranks #5,830 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,712 people with the surname Berube. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,550), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Berube.
Has Berube become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berube went from 6,067 recorded bearers to 5,712. That is a decrease of 355 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,716 to #5,830.
What does the Census say about the background of Berube?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berube, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Berube in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (5,316 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berube appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Berube (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 Berube mean?
A French-Canadian occupational surname referring to a draper or cloth merchant. 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 Berube (1.91 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 are called Berube?
See how common the surname Berube is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.