2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bierkamp
A surname describing someone who lived near a beer field or camp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bierkamp. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bierkamp 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Bierkamp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bierkamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bierkamp
The surname Bierkamp has its origins in Germany, with records showing it first appearing in the 15th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German words "bier" meaning beer and "kamp" meaning field or meadow, suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have been involved in the production or cultivation of hops or barley used in brewing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bierkamp can be found in the town of Bieringen, located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. A document from 1472 mentions a Johann Bierkamp, who was a landowner and farmer in the area. This suggests that the name may have originated in this region.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Bierkamp, Bierkampt, and Bierkampf, reflecting the variations in written records during that time. A notable individual from this period was Hans Bierkamp, a merchant and city councilor in the city of Nuremberg, who lived from 1525 to 1589.
The 17th century saw the spread of the Bierkamp name to other parts of Germany, as well as to neighboring countries. In 1632, a record mentions a Johann Bierkamp who was a soldier in the Thirty Years' War, fighting for the Protestant forces. Another notable bearer of the name was Katharina Bierkamp, a midwife who lived in the town of Aachen from 1650 to 1721.
As the centuries progressed, the Bierkamp name continued to be found throughout Germany and beyond. In the 18th century, a Johann Bierkamp was born in 1725 in the town of Xanten, and later became a respected lawyer and legal scholar. His son, also named Johann, followed in his footsteps and became a prominent judge in the region.
In the 19th century, the name Bierkamp was carried by several individuals of note, including the German painter and lithographer Carl Bierkamp, who lived from 1818 to 1878. Another notable bearer of the name was the German writer and journalist Friedrich Bierkamp, born in 1835, who wrote extensively on political and social issues of the time.
While the surname Bierkamp is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, the historical roots and origins of this name can be traced back to the German regions where it first emerged and gained prominence over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bierkamp
Among Census respondents with the surname Bierkamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Bierkamp 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 Bierkamp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bierkamp
Bierkamp 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,589 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 13,589 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,267 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 Bierkamp 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 | #139,228 | #146,495 | -5.2% |
| Count | 120 | 114 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bierkamp bearers went from 120 to 114 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,267 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bierkamp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bierkamp?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bierkamp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bierkamp?
Bierkamp ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Bierkamp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Bierkamp.
Has Bierkamp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bierkamp went from 120 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bierkamp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bierkamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Bierkamp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bierkamp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Bierkamp (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 Bierkamp mean?
A surname describing someone who lived near a beer field or camp. 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 Bierkamp (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 common is the surname Bierkamp?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Bierkamp, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.