2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Birkla
A variant of the German surname referring to a person from a birch forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Birkla. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birkla 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Birkla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birkla
The surname BIRKLA is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the Bavaria region of southern Germany, specifically in the area around the city of Nuremberg. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German words "birke" meaning "birch tree" and "la" meaning "meadow" or "clearing," implying that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a birch tree-lined meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BIRKLA appears in a church registry from the town of Fürth, near Nuremberg, dated 1567. The entry mentions a "Hans Birkla" who was a local farmer. Another early reference is found in the municipal records of Nuremberg itself, where a "Georg Birkla" is listed as a Master Blacksmith in the year 1582.
In the 17th century, the BIRKLA name began to spread beyond Bavaria as a result of migration and trade. Records from the city of Cologne, in western Germany, show a "Matthias Birkla" who was a merchant and member of the local guild in 1642. Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Bonn, a "Jakob Birkla" is mentioned as a schoolmaster in 1659.
As the BIRKLA name continued to disperse throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Birkler," "Birklen," and "Birckla." One notable individual was Johann Christoph Birkla (1708-1782), a respected theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg in southwestern Germany.
In the 19th century, the BIRKLA surname started appearing in records from other European countries as well. For example, a "Franz Birkla" was a prominent architect in Vienna, Austria, responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the city between 1830 and 1860. Meanwhile, in France, a "Pierre Birkla" (1795-1873) was a successful vintner and winemaker in the Bordeaux region.
While the BIRKLA name is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries and regions of Europe. From its humble beginnings as a surname in Bavaria, it has been borne by farmers, craftsmen, academics, and professionals across the continent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birkla
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Birkla 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 Birkla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birkla
Birkla 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+18 bearers (+16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,551 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.4%) | Up 7,551 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,582 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 Birkla 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 | #132,206 | #142,788 | -8.0% |
| Count | 128 | 119 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birkla bearers went from 128 to 119 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,582 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #142,788.
FAQ
Birkla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birkla?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Birkla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Birkla?
Birkla ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Birkla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Birkla.
Has Birkla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birkla went from 128 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Birkla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birkla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Birkla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birkla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Birkla (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 Birkla mean?
A variant of the German surname referring to a person from a birch forest. 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 Birkla (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 Birkla?
See how common the surname Birkla is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.