2000
#17,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,500
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Borntrager
A German occupational surname referring to someone who carries or transports goods or freight.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,246 Americans carry the last name Borntrager. That puts it at #10,764 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,593 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borntrager 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 105,593
Census rank
#10,764
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,831 bearers of the surname Borntrager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10764th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borntrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borntrager
The surname Borntrager originates from Germany, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "born" meaning "well" or "spring" and "trager" meaning "carrier" or "bearer." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a well or spring and was tasked with carrying water from that source.
Borntrager is primarily associated with the region of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany, where it is thought to have originated. Early records from this area reveal variations in spelling, such as Borntreger, Bornträger, and Borntreger. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the evolving nature of written language during that time period.
One of the earliest known references to the Borntrager name can be found in a 1587 document from the town of Mundelsheim, which mentions a certain Hans Borntrager. Another notable early record is the mention of a Caspar Borntrager in the church records of Steinheim an der Murr in 1615.
As the name spread beyond its origins in Baden-Württemberg, it was carried by individuals who migrated to other parts of Germany and beyond. For instance, Johann Borntrager (1640-1716) was a notable pastor and theologian who served in the city of Erfurt in present-day Thuringia.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several Borntragers made their mark in various fields. Johann Borntrager (1773-1847) was a prominent architect from Esslingen am Neckar, responsible for designing several notable buildings in the region. Meanwhile, Friedrich Borntrager (1829-1902) was a renowned botanist from Kiel who made significant contributions to the study of plant morphology.
In the realm of literature, Carl Borntrager (1865-1941) was a German poet and writer from Stuttgart, known for his lyrical works celebrating the beauty of nature and the Swabian countryside.
Another noteworthy figure was Wilhelm Borntrager (1870-1956), a German entrepreneur who founded the Borntrager Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik (Borntrager Tool Machine Factory) in Bielefeld, which played a crucial role in the development of precision tooling machines during the early 20th century.
While the Borntrager name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the Baden-Württemberg region and the name's potential association with water carriers and springs in the 16th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borntrager
Among Census respondents with the surname Borntrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Borntrager 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 Borntrager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.9% · 2,799
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 17
- Two or more races0.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borntrager
Borntrager 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
#13,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,357
+857 bearers (+57.1%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 4,334 places
2020
#10,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,831
+474 bearers (+20.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 2,265 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,363 | 1,500 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,029 | 2,357 | 0.80 | +857 bearers (+57.1%) | Up 4,334 places |
| 2020 | #10,764 | 2,831 | 0.95 | +474 bearers (+20.1%) | Up 2,265 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 Borntrager 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 | #13,029 | #10,764 | 17.4% |
| Count | 2,357 | 2,831 | 20.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.95 | 18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borntrager bearers went from 2,357 to 2,831 (+20.1% change). The surname moved up 2,265 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,029 to #10,764.
FAQ
Borntrager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borntrager?
Name Census estimates that about 3,246 living Americans carry the surname Borntrager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,593 residents.
How common is Borntrager?
Borntrager ranks #10,764 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,831 people with the surname Borntrager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Borntrager.
Has Borntrager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borntrager went from 2,357 recorded bearers to 2,831. That is an increase of 474 (+20.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,029 to #10,764.
What does the Census say about the background of Borntrager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borntrager, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Borntrager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.9% (2,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borntrager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.9%), Hispanic (0.6%), Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Borntrager (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 Borntrager mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who carries or transports goods or freight. 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 Borntrager (0.95 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 surname Borntrager?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.