2000
#10,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,969
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Bohrer
An occupational surname referring to someone who drills or bores holes, such as a miner or well-digger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,217 Americans carry the last name Bohrer. That puts it at #10,846 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,545 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bohrer 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
3.2K
1 in 106,545
Census rank
#10,846
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,805 bearers of the surname Bohrer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10846th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bohrer
The surname Bohrer has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word 'bor(e)r', which means 'borer' or 'driller'. This suggests that the name was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a borer or driller, perhaps in the carpentry or construction trades.
The name is believed to have originated in the regions of modern-day Germany and Switzerland, where it was first recorded in various forms such as Borer, Borrer, and Bohrer. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Galli, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of St. Gallen in Switzerland, dated around the 9th century.
In the 13th century, a man named Heinrich Bohrer was mentioned in the historical records of the city of Heidelberg in Germany. Another early record is from the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Margraviate of Baden, which includes a reference to a certain Cunrat Bohrer in the year 1308.
During the 15th century, the name Bohrer appeared in various records across Germany and Switzerland, including the Bürgermeisterbuch (Book of Mayors) of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Bohrer was listed as a member of the city council in 1482.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Bohrer (1470-1539), a German theologian and reformer who was a supporter of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another individual of note was Johann Michael Bohrer (1639-1718), a German architect and master builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and buildings in the city of Ulm.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bohrer include:
1. Johann Baptist Bohrer (1782-1859), a German sculptor and painter.
2. Karl Bohrer (1876-1946), a German politician and member of the Reichstag.
3. Walther Bohrer (1898-1945), a German army officer and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.
4. Günther Bohrer (1925-2014), a German literary critic and essayist.
5. David Bohrer (born 1957), an American actor and screenwriter.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bohrer
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bohrer 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 Bohrer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,604
- Two or more races2.9% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 27
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bohrer
Bohrer 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
#10,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,933
-36 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 847 places
2020
#10,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,805
-128 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,013 | 2,969 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,860 | 2,933 | 0.99 | -36 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 847 places |
| 2020 | #10,846 | 2,805 | 0.94 | -128 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 14 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 Bohrer 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 | #10,860 | #10,846 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,933 | 2,805 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.94 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bohrer bearers went from 2,933 to 2,805 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,860 to #10,846.
FAQ
Bohrer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bohrer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,217 living Americans carry the surname Bohrer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,545 residents.
How common is Bohrer?
Bohrer ranks #10,846 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,805 people with the surname Bohrer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,217), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Bohrer.
Has Bohrer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bohrer went from 2,933 recorded bearers to 2,805. That is a decrease of 128 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,860 to #10,846.
What does the Census say about the background of Bohrer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Bohrer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,604 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bohrer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Bohrer (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 Bohrer mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who drills or bores holes, such as a miner or well-digger. 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 Bohrer (0.94 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 Americans have the surname Bohrer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.