2000
#12,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,311
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Birge
Derived from Middle High German "bürge," an occupational name for a surety or guarantor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,651 Americans carry the last name Birge. That puts it at #12,747 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birge 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
2.7K
1 in 129,292
Census rank
#12,747
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,312 bearers of the surname Birge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12747th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birge
The surname Birge originates from the Old French word "berge" meaning "riverbank" or "hillside". It is believed to have first emerged in the northern regions of France during the early medieval period, likely as a locational name given to someone who lived near a riverbank or hillside.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Berga". This suggests that the name had already become established in certain parts of Normandy by the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
As the name spread across Europe, various spelling variations emerged, including Berge, Berghe, and Byrge. In England, the surname took on the form Birge, and it is thought to have been introduced by Norman settlers following the conquest.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Birge, a 13th-century English knight who served under King Edward I. He was involved in the Wars of Scottish Independence and participated in the siege of Caerlaverock Castle in 1300.
In the 14th century, the Birge family held lands in the county of Hertfordshire, as evidenced by records mentioning a John Birge of Sawbridgeworth in 1327. This branch of the family likely took their name from the nearby village of Birge Green, a place name derived from the Old English words "byrg" and "grene", meaning "hill" and "green" respectively.
Another significant figure bearing the Birge name was Richard Birge, a 16th-century English Protestant reformer and martyr. Born in 1532, he was burned at the stake in 1588 during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs.
In the 17th century, members of the Birge family were among the early settlers of the American colonies. Thomas Birge, born in 1615 in Shalford, Essex, England, emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and later became one of the founders of Norwich, Connecticut.
Throughout history, the Birge surname has been borne by several other notable individuals, including John Birge (1583-1630), an English clergyman and religious writer; Joseph Birge (1783-1848), an American politician and lawyer from Vermont; and Henry Griggs Birge (1860-1936), a prominent American physicist and educator.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birge
Among Census respondents with the surname Birge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Birge 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 Birge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 1,905
- Black or African American8.6% · 199
- Two or more races3.8% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birge
Birge 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
#12,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,520
+209 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#12,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,312
-208 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,334 | 2,311 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,339 | 2,520 | 0.85 | +209 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #12,747 | 2,312 | 0.77 | -208 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 408 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 Birge 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 | #12,339 | #12,747 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,520 | 2,312 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.77 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birge bearers went from 2,520 to 2,312 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 408 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,339 to #12,747.
FAQ
Birge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birge?
Name Census estimates that about 2,651 living Americans carry the surname Birge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,292 residents.
How common is Birge?
Birge ranks #12,747 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,312 people with the surname Birge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,651), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Birge.
Has Birge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birge went from 2,520 recorded bearers to 2,312. That is a decrease of 208 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,339 to #12,747.
What does the Census say about the background of Birge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Birge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (1,905 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (8.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Birge (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 Birge mean?
Derived from Middle High German "bürge," an occupational name for a surety or guarantor. 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 Birge (0.77 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 Birge?
See how many Americans have the surname Birge on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.