2000
#7,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Bieber
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a beaver trapper or fur trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,611 Americans carry the last name Bieber. That puts it at #7,916 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,334 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bieber 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
4.6K
1 in 74,334
Census rank
#7,916
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,021 bearers of the surname Bieber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7916th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bieber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bieber
The surname Bieber is of German origin, first appearing in historical records around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "bibor," which means "beaver." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who worked with beavers or traded beaver pelts.
The earliest known bearers of the Bieber surname were from the regions of Bavaria and Franconia in modern-day Germany. The name is likely connected to the town of Bieber, located in the Hessian district of Offenbach. This town's name is derived from the same Old High German root word, indicating a place where beavers were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bieber name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the Saxon region, which mentions a "Johannes Bieber" in an entry dated 1292.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans Bieber (c. 1420-1489) was a respected architect and master builder in the city of Nuremberg, responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including the Frauenkirche and the Heilig-Geist-Spital.
Another historically significant bearer of the Bieber surname was Johann Bieber (1572-1647), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bieber name was also found in various regions of Switzerland, where it is believed to have been introduced by German settlers. One notable Swiss Bieber was Johann Jakob Bieber (1672-1739), a prominent jurist and author of legal treatises.
In the 19th century, a German-American named Friedrich Wilhelm Bieber (1836-1908) emigrated to the United States and became a successful businessman and philanthropist in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. He was known for his support of educational institutions and cultural organizations.
Throughout its history, the Bieber surname has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from artisans and tradespeople to scholars, musicians, and business leaders. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bieber
Among Census respondents with the surname Bieber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bieber 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 Bieber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 3,725
- Two or more races3.5% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bieber
Bieber 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
#7,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,301
+7 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 550 places
2020
#7,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,021
-280 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,167 | 4,294 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,717 | 4,301 | 1.46 | +7 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 550 places |
| 2020 | #7,916 | 4,021 | 1.35 | -280 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 199 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 Bieber 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 | #7,717 | #7,916 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,301 | 4,021 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.35 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bieber bearers went from 4,301 to 4,021 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 199 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,717 to #7,916.
FAQ
Bieber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bieber?
Name Census estimates that about 4,611 living Americans carry the surname Bieber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,334 residents.
How common is Bieber?
Bieber ranks #7,916 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,021 people with the surname Bieber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,611), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bieber.
Has Bieber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bieber went from 4,301 recorded bearers to 4,021. That is a decrease of 280 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,717 to #7,916.
What does the Census say about the background of Bieber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bieber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Bieber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (3,725 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bieber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Bieber (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 Bieber mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a beaver trapper or fur trader. 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 Bieber (1.35 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 last name Bieber?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Bieber on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.