2000
#20,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Borntreger
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German words "born" (well) and "treger" (carrier), denoting a water carrier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,074 Americans carry the last name Borntreger. That puts it at #11,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borntreger 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
3.1K
1 in 111,501
Census rank
#11,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,681 bearers of the surname Borntreger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borntreger, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.6%) and Hispanic (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borntreger
The surname Borntreger has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the German word "born," which means "spring" or "well," and the word "treger," meaning "carrier" or "bearer." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who transported water from a spring or well.
In the 13th century, there are records of individuals with variations of the name Borntreger residing in the Rhineland region of Germany. Some of the earliest documented spellings include Borntrager, Borntraeger, and Borntragere. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known references to the name Borntreger can be found in the Wörterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen (Dictionary of German Family Names), published in 1890. This work mentions a Hans Borntreger, who was recorded as living in the city of Cologne in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Borntreger name appears in various church records and municipal documents across German-speaking regions. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Borntreger (1532-1599), a merchant and landowner from Nuremberg, and Anna Borntreger (1565-1631), a midwife from Erfurt.
The Borntreger surname also has ties to certain place names in Germany. For instance, there is a village called Bornträger in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which may have derived its name from individuals with the Borntreger surname residing there.
As the centuries progressed, members of the Borntreger family migrated to various parts of Europe and beyond. One notable figure was Friedrich Borntreger (1768-1843), a German-American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Another prominent individual was Karl Borntreger (1832-1903), a German engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early internal combustion engines and automobiles.
In the 19th century, the Borntreger name also appeared in literary works, such as the novel "Die Borntreger" by German author Wilhelm Raabe, published in 1866.
While the Borntreger surname is not as common today as it once was, it continues to be found in various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of those who bore this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borntreger
Among Census respondents with the surname Borntreger, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.6%) and Hispanic (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Borntreger 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 Borntreger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 2,654
- Two or more races0.6% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borntreger
Borntreger 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
#13,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,231
+1,013 bearers (+83.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
2020
#11,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,681
+450 bearers (+20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 2,318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,311 | 1,218 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,588 | 2,231 | 0.76 | +1,013 bearers (+83.2%) | Up 6,723 places |
| 2020 | #11,270 | 2,681 | 0.90 | +450 bearers (+20.2%) | Up 2,318 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 Borntreger 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 | #13,588 | #11,270 | 17.1% |
| Count | 2,231 | 2,681 | 20.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.90 | 18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borntreger bearers went from 2,231 to 2,681 (+20.2% change). The surname moved up 2,318 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,588 to #11,270.
FAQ
Borntreger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borntreger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,074 living Americans carry the surname Borntreger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,501 residents.
How common is Borntreger?
Borntreger ranks #11,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,681 people with the surname Borntreger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,074), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Borntreger.
Has Borntreger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borntreger went from 2,231 recorded bearers to 2,681. That is an increase of 450 (+20.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,588 to #11,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Borntreger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borntreger, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.6%) and Hispanic (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 Borntreger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (2,654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borntreger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (0.6%), Hispanic (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 Borntreger (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 Borntreger mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German words "born" (well) and "treger" (carrier), denoting a water carrier. 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 Borntreger (0.90 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 Borntreger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.