2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Birkhoff
A German surname referring to someone from Birkhof or from a birch grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Birkhoff. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birkhoff 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Birkhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.4%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birkhoff
The surname BIRKHOFF originates from Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Old German words "birke," meaning birch tree, and "hof," meaning a courtyard or an enclosed area. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned an estate surrounded by birch trees.
The earliest known record of the BIRKHOFF name appears in a medieval manuscript from the town of Nuremberg, dated around 1285, which mentions a certain "Johannes Birkhoffer." This indicates that the name was already in use and potentially established in that region during that time period.
In the 14th century, variations of the name began to appear, such as "Birkhofer" and "Birckhover," reflecting the different spellings and regional dialects of the time. These variations were often associated with specific locations or villages where families bearing the name resided.
Notable individuals with the BIRKHOFF surname include Johann Birkhoff, a German mathematician and theoretical physicist born in 1884, who made significant contributions to the fields of ergodic theory and topological dynamics. Another prominent figure was George David Birkhoff, an American mathematician born in 1884, known for his work in the fields of dynamical systems and ergodic theory.
In the realm of art, the painter and printmaker Bettina Birkhoff, born in 1963, has gained recognition for her abstract and experimental works. Additionally, the name BIRKHOFF has been associated with several academics and scholars, such as Garrett Birkhoff, an American mathematician and logician born in 1911, and his father, George David Birkhoff, mentioned earlier.
Throughout history, the BIRKHOFF surname has also been linked to various locations and place names, particularly in Germany and parts of Central Europe. For instance, the village of Birkhoff in Lower Saxony, Germany, bears a striking resemblance to the surname, suggesting a potential connection or origin.
While the BIRKHOFF name may have evolved and spread to different parts of the world over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German regions, where it likely originated as a descriptive name related to the presence of birch trees or a specific estate or courtyard surrounded by them.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birkhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.4%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Birkhoff 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 Birkhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 88
- Two or more races9.4% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birkhoff
Birkhoff 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,383 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 950 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,383 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 950 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 Birkhoff 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 | #145,220 | #144,270 | 0.7% |
| Count | 114 | 117 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birkhoff bearers went from 114 to 117 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 950 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #144,270.
FAQ
Birkhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birkhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Birkhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Birkhoff?
Birkhoff ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Birkhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Birkhoff.
Has Birkhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birkhoff went from 114 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Birkhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.4%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Birkhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birkhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Two or More Races (9.4%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Birkhoff (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 Birkhoff mean?
A German surname referring to someone from Birkhof or from a birch grove. 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 Birkhoff (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 have the last name Birkhoff?
Want to know how many people are called Birkhoff? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.