2000
#11,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,523
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Borger
An occupational surname referring to a town dweller, citizen, or freeman, derived from the Middle High German "burgaere".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,645 Americans carry the last name Borger. That puts it at #12,767 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borger 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
2.6K
1 in 129,586
Census rank
#12,767
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,307 bearers of the surname Borger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12767th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borger
The surname BORGER has its origins in the Low German language, which was spoken in Northern Germany and the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Saxon word "burg," meaning a fortified town or castle. The name likely originated in the 9th or 10th century, when it was used to identify individuals who lived or worked in or near a fortified settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BORGER can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Burgher" and "Burgare," indicating its long history and evolution.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Johannes BORGER was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bremen, Germany. His descendants continued to play important roles in the city's affairs for several generations.
During the Renaissance period, a Dutch painter named Pieter BORGER (1545-1608) gained recognition for his landscapes and portrait work. His paintings can be found in several museums across Europe.
In the 17th century, Hans BORGER (1621-1677) was a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of the Baroque musical style. His works were widely performed and appreciated during his lifetime.
Another notable individual with the surname BORGER was Johann Gottfried BORGER (1705-1775), a German theologian and philosopher. He was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement and wrote extensively on topics such as natural philosophy and the nature of the human mind.
The 19th century saw the rise of a German mathematician and astronomer named Ernst BORGER (1818-1892). He made important discoveries in the field of celestial mechanics and published numerous works on the subject.
Throughout history, the surname BORGER has been found in various regions of Germany, the Netherlands, and other parts of Northern Europe. Its association with fortified settlements and towns has given it a distinct historical significance, reflecting the role of these structures in the shaping of communities and societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borger
Among Census respondents with the surname Borger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Borger 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 Borger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,153
- Two or more races3.1% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 54
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borger
Borger 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
#12,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,466
-57 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 1,101 places
2020
#12,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,307
-159 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,456 | 2,523 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,557 | 2,466 | 0.84 | -57 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,101 places |
| 2020 | #12,767 | 2,307 | 0.77 | -159 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 210 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 Borger 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 | #12,557 | #12,767 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,466 | 2,307 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.77 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borger bearers went from 2,466 to 2,307 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 210 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,557 to #12,767.
FAQ
Borger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,645 living Americans carry the surname Borger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,586 residents.
How common is Borger?
Borger ranks #12,767 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,307 people with the surname Borger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,645), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Borger.
Has Borger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borger went from 2,466 recorded bearers to 2,307. That is a decrease of 159 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,557 to #12,767.
What does the Census say about the background of Borger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Borger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,153 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Borger (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 Borger mean?
An occupational surname referring to a town dweller, citizen, or freeman, derived from the Middle High German "burgaere". 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 Borger (0.77 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 Borger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Borger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.