2000
#13,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Bjerke
A Danish and Norwegian habitational surname derived from places named Bjerke, meaning "birch tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,429 Americans carry the last name Bjerke. That puts it at #13,700 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bjerke 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
2.4K
1 in 141,109
Census rank
#13,700
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,118 bearers of the surname Bjerke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13700th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjerke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bjerke
The surname Bjerke is of Norwegian origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a topographic name derived from the Old Norse word "bjǫrk," meaning "birch tree," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived near or in an area surrounded by birch trees.
The name Bjerke can be found in various historical records from Norway, including medieval charters and land registers. One of the earliest documented instances is from the late 13th century, where a person named Thorstein Bjerke is mentioned in the Icelandic Annals.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Norwegian Diplom, a collection of medieval documents, where a farm called "Bjerke" is referenced in the Gudbrandsdalen valley. This suggests that the surname may have originated from a specific place name before becoming more widespread.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling variations "Biørche" and "Bjørche" were also used, reflecting the evolution of the Norwegian language over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Bjerke include:
1. Vilhelm Bjerke (1869-1958), a Norwegian educator and politician who served as the Minister of Education and Church Affairs from 1923 to 1924.
2. Andrè Bjerke (1918-1985), a Norwegian resistance fighter and author who played a crucial role in the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II.
3. Sverre Bjerke (1906-1983), a Norwegian ski jumper who won a bronze medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
4. Kristoffer Bjerke (born 1986), a contemporary Norwegian cross-country skier who has participated in multiple Winter Olympics and World Championships.
5. Hedda Bjerke (1911-1998), a Norwegian actress and theater director who had a prolific career spanning over six decades in the Norwegian theater scene.
While the name Bjerke is most commonly associated with Norway, it has also found its way into other Scandinavian countries and communities through migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bjerke
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjerke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bjerke 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 Bjerke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 1,991
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 54
- Two or more races2.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bjerke
Bjerke 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
#13,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,168
+19 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 859 places
2020
#13,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,118
-50 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,067 | 2,149 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,926 | 2,168 | 0.73 | +19 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 859 places |
| 2020 | #13,700 | 2,118 | 0.71 | -50 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 226 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 Bjerke 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 | #13,926 | #13,700 | 1.6% |
| Count | 2,168 | 2,118 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.71 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bjerke bearers went from 2,168 to 2,118 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 226 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,926 to #13,700.
FAQ
Bjerke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bjerke?
Name Census estimates that about 2,429 living Americans carry the surname Bjerke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,109 residents.
How common is Bjerke?
Bjerke ranks #13,700 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,118 people with the surname Bjerke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,429), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Bjerke.
Has Bjerke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bjerke went from 2,168 recorded bearers to 2,118. That is a decrease of 50 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,926 to #13,700.
What does the Census say about the background of Bjerke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjerke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bjerke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (1,991 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bjerke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bjerke (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 Bjerke mean?
A Danish and Norwegian habitational surname derived from places named Bjerke, meaning "birch tree." 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 Bjerke (0.71 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 Bjerke?
See how many Americans have the surname Bjerke on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.