2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Biedler
A surname derived from the German word "Biedermann," meaning an honest or honorable man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Biedler. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Biedler 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Biedler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Biedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Biedler
The surname Biedler originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "biedermann," which translates to "honest man" or "upright man." This suggests that the name was likely initially bestowed upon someone known for their integrity and virtuous character.
The earliest recorded instances of the Biedler surname can be found in various medieval records and documents from various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Johannes Biedler, a merchant from Nuremberg, mentioned in records from the late 15th century, and Hans Biedler, a farmer from the village of Rothenbach, whose name appears in a land registry from 1521.
Throughout history, the Biedler name has undergone various spelling variations, including Biedlern, Biedeler, and Biedeler, reflecting regional dialects and scribal interpretations. Interestingly, the name Biedler also shares similarities with the Old German place name "Biedeln," suggesting a potential connection to a specific location or region.
Notable individuals with the Biedler surname include Christoph Biedler (1561-1638), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony, and Johann Gottlieb Biedler (1723-1786), a German theologian and author known for his works on Christian ethics and moral philosophy.
In the realm of literature, the name Biedler appears in the works of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who included a character named "Biedler" in his novel "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship" (1795-1796).
Another notable figure was Karl Biedler (1848-1923), a German-American architect who designed several significant buildings in Chicago, including the Pullman Clocktower Building and the Glessner House, which is now a designated National Historic Landmark.
Lastly, Johanna Biedler (1868-1945) was a German educator and women's rights activist who played a crucial role in establishing educational opportunities for girls and advocating for gender equality in education during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Biedler
Among Census respondents with the surname Biedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Biedler 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 Biedler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Biedler
Biedler appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+11 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 9,117 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 Biedler 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 | #143,511 | 6.0% |
| Count | 107 | 118 | 10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Biedler bearers went from 107 to 118 (+10.3% change). The surname moved up 9,117 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #143,511.
FAQ
Biedler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Biedler?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Biedler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Biedler?
Biedler ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Biedler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Biedler.
Has Biedler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Biedler went from 107 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 11 (+10.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Biedler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Biedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Biedler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Biedler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (2.5%), Black (1.7%). 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 Biedler (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 Biedler mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Biedermann," meaning an honest or honorable man. 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 Biedler (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 Biedler?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Biedler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.