2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bettge
A German surname likely derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Bettge. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bettge 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Bettge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bettge, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bettge
The surname Bettge originates from Germany and is believed to have its roots in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from a Germanic word related to the word "bett," meaning "bed" or "resting place." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a guesthouse or inn where travelers could rest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bettge can be found in the town of Kirchhain, located in the German state of Hesse. In a local church register from the late 16th century, a certain Johannes Bettge is mentioned as a resident of the town. This lends credence to the theory that the name originated in the central German region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bettge name began to spread throughout other parts of Germany, particularly in the northern and eastern regions. In the early 19th century, a family of Bettges settled in the town of Stendal, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. One notable member of this family was Johann Friedrich Bettge (1765-1844), who served as a Lutheran pastor in the town for several decades.
Another prominent figure with the Bettge surname was Carl Bettge (1853-1921), a German architect and urban planner who was responsible for designing several notable buildings and public spaces in the city of Berlin during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His most famous work is the Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall), which remains one of Berlin's most iconic landmarks.
In the late 19th century, a branch of the Bettge family emigrated from Germany to the United States, settling in the midwestern state of Wisconsin. One of the earliest Bettges in America was Gustav Bettge (1867-1949), who worked as a farmer and landowner in the town of Sheboygan Falls.
Towards the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, the Bettge name also began to appear in parts of Eastern Europe, particularly in the regions that were once part of the German Empire or had significant German populations. For example, there are records of Bettges living in the cities of Gdańsk (formerly Danzig) and Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg) during this period.
While not as common as some other German surnames, the name Bettge has left its mark on various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in fields ranging from religion and architecture to agriculture and urban planning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bettge
Among Census respondents with the surname Bettge, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bettge 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 Bettge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bettge
Bettge 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,699 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 17,699 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 289 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 Bettge 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 | #152,628 | #152,339 | 0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 106 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bettge bearers went from 107 to 106 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,339.
FAQ
Bettge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bettge?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Bettge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Bettge?
Bettge ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Bettge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bettge.
Has Bettge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bettge went from 107 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Bettge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bettge, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Bettge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bettge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (5.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Bettge (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 Bettge mean?
A German surname likely derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Bettge (0.04 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 Bettge?
Want to know how common the surname Bettge is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.