2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Biegger
A surname derived from a nickname meaning "bender" or "bowyer," referring to an occupation making bows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Biegger. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Biegger 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Biegger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Biegger, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Biegger
The surname Biegger originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "biegen," which means "to bend" or "to curve." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation or physical characteristic related to bending or curving.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Biegger name can be found in the Rottenburg Town Records from the year 1283, where a person named Henrich Biegger was mentioned as a resident. Additionally, the name appears in the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Mühlhausen in Thüringen from 1367, which documents a certain Hans Biegger.
In the 15th century, the Biegger surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Swabia and Franconia in southern Germany. It is worth noting that during this time, place names were often incorporated into surnames, leading to variations such as Biegger von Rothenburg or Biegger von Nürnberg.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Biegger surname throughout history are Johann Biegger (1520-1588), a prominent jurist and legal scholar from Nuremberg, and Christoph Biegger (1675-1744), a respected theologian and author from Ulm. Another figure of significance was Maria Biegger (1817-1892), a renowned artist and painter from Munich.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Biegger name was also found in various records from the city of Augsburg, including the birth and marriage registers. One example is the mention of a Andreas Biegger, who was born in Augsburg in 1612.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling were common during this time period, leading to alternative forms such as Bieger, Bieger, and Bieger. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes and record-keepers.
As the Biegger family spread across different regions, the name continued to evolve and adapt to local customs and traditions. However, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of southern Germany, where it first emerged as a distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Biegger
Among Census respondents with the surname Biegger, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Biegger 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 Biegger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Biegger
Biegger 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+15 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,339 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-18 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 5,339 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 16,540 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 Biegger 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 | #136,449 | #152,989 | -12.1% |
| Count | 123 | 105 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Biegger bearers went from 123 to 105 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 16,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #152,989.
FAQ
Biegger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Biegger?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Biegger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Biegger?
Biegger ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Biegger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Biegger.
Has Biegger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Biegger went from 123 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Biegger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Biegger, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Biegger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Biegger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Biegger (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 Biegger mean?
A surname derived from a nickname meaning "bender" or "bowyer," referring to an occupation making bows. 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 Biegger (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 Biegger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Biegger is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.