2000
#21,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Bortner
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany or Switzerland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,332 Americans carry the last name Bortner. That puts it at #22,647 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 257,323 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bortner 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
1.3K
1 in 257,323
Census rank
#22,647
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,162 bearers of the surname Bortner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22647th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bortner
The surname Bortner is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Borte," which means "braid" or "border," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been braid or border makers or traders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bortner name can be found in the town records of Freiburg im Breisgau, a city in southwestern Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. The name is also present in various church records and legal documents from the same region during the 17th century, with spellings such as "Bortner," "Bortener," and "Bortner."
In the 18th century, the Bortner name began to appear in records outside of Germany, particularly in the United States. This was likely due to the immigration of German families seeking new opportunities in the New World. One notable early bearer of the Bortner surname was Johann Georg Bortner, who was born in 1702 in Zweibrücken, Germany, and later immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1730s.
Another prominent figure with the Bortner name was William Bortner, an American Revolutionary War soldier born in 1760 in York County, Pennsylvania. He served in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown.
In the 19th century, the Bortner name continued to spread across various parts of the United States, with families settling in states such as Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. One notable individual from this era was Jacob Bortner, born in 1825 in Pennsylvania, who became a successful farmer and landowner in Stark County, Ohio.
The 20th century saw the Bortner name gaining further recognition, with individuals making their mark in various fields. For instance, John D. Bortner, born in 1892 in Ohio, was a prominent engineer and inventor who held several patents related to automotive technology.
Another noteworthy figure was Walter Bortner, born in 1914 in Pennsylvania, who served as a highly decorated officer in the United States Army during World War II and later became a respected educator and author.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bortner
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bortner 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 Bortner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 1,103
- Two or more races2.8% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bortner
Bortner 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
#26,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 939
-206 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 4,763 places
2020
#22,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,162
+223 bearers (+23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 3,439 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,323 | 1,145 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,086 | 939 | 0.32 | -206 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 4,763 places |
| 2020 | #22,647 | 1,162 | 0.39 | +223 bearers (+23.7%) | Up 3,439 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 Bortner 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 | #26,086 | #22,647 | 13.2% |
| Count | 939 | 1,162 | 23.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.39 | 21.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bortner bearers went from 939 to 1,162 (+23.7% change). The surname moved up 3,439 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,086 to #22,647.
FAQ
Bortner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bortner?
Name Census estimates that about 1,332 living Americans carry the surname Bortner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 257,323 residents.
How common is Bortner?
Bortner ranks #22,647 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,162 people with the surname Bortner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,332), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bortner.
Has Bortner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bortner went from 939 recorded bearers to 1,162. That is an increase of 223 (+23.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #26,086 to #22,647.
What does the Census say about the background of Bortner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bortner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (1,103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bortner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bortner (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 Bortner mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany or Switzerland. 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 Bortner (0.39 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 Bortner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.