2000
#5,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.30
Uncommon Last name
Bontrager
A Swiss German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wine barrels or casks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,716 Americans carry the last name Bontrager. That puts it at #3,414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bontrager 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
12K
1 in 29,255
Census rank
#3,414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,217 bearers of the surname Bontrager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bontrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bontrager
The surname Bontrager is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the German words "bont" meaning "mottled" or "pied," and "tragen" meaning "to carry" or "to bear." Together, these words suggest that the name may have referred to someone who carried or transported goods of various colors or patterns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bontrager can be found in the town records of Strasbourg, France, dating back to the 16th century. The name was spelled as "Bontragher" in these records, which documented individuals living and working in the region at that time.
In the 17th century, the name Bontrager appeared in the church records of the Palatinate region of Germany, suggesting that the family had established roots in this area. It is possible that some members of the Bontrager family migrated from the Palatinate to other parts of Europe or even to the Americas during this time period.
One notable individual bearing the Bontrager surname was Hans Bontrager, a merchant and tradesman who lived in the town of Heidelberg, Germany, in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the transportation and sale of various goods, which aligns with the potential meaning of the surname.
Another prominent figure was Johann Bontrager, a scholar and theologian who lived in the late 17th century. He was born in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, in 1657 and later became a professor of theology at the University of Tübingen, where he taught until his death in 1723.
In the 18th century, the Bontrager name can be found in the records of the Mennonite communities that settled in Pennsylvania, USA. One such individual was Jacob Bontrager, who was born in 1732 in Steinsfurt, Germany, and later immigrated to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he and his family were among the early Mennonite settlers in the region.
During the 19th century, the Bontrager surname continued to be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in communities of German immigrants in North America. One notable figure from this period was Wilhelm Bontrager, a German-American entrepreneur and businessman who was born in 1829 in Württemberg, Germany, and later founded a successful brewing company in St. Louis, Missouri.
Throughout history, the Bontrager surname has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, tradesmen, scholars, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bontrager
Among Census respondents with the surname Bontrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bontrager 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 Bontrager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 9,956
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 110
- Two or more races1.0% · 101
- Black or African American0.2% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bontrager
Bontrager 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
#4,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,507
+2,299 bearers (+37.0%)
Per 100,000 2.88
Rank movement Up 1,007 places
2020
#3,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,217
+1,710 bearers (+20.1%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Up 753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,174 | 6,208 | 2.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,167 | 8,507 | 2.88 | +2,299 bearers (+37.0%) | Up 1,007 places |
| 2020 | #3,414 | 10,217 | 3.42 | +1,710 bearers (+20.1%) | Up 753 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 Bontrager 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 | #4,167 | #3,414 | 18.1% |
| Count | 8,507 | 10,217 | 20.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.88 | 3.42 | 18.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bontrager bearers went from 8,507 to 10,217 (+20.1% change). The surname moved up 753 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,167 to #3,414.
FAQ
Bontrager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bontrager?
Name Census estimates that about 11,716 living Americans carry the surname Bontrager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,255 residents.
How common is Bontrager?
Bontrager ranks #3,414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,217 people with the surname Bontrager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,716), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bontrager.
Has Bontrager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bontrager went from 8,507 recorded bearers to 10,217. That is an increase of 1,710 (+20.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,167 to #3,414.
What does the Census say about the background of Bontrager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bontrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Bontrager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (9,956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bontrager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Hispanic (1.1%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Bontrager (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 Bontrager mean?
A Swiss German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wine barrels or casks. 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 Bontrager (3.42 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 share the surname Bontrager?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.