2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bortscheller
An occupational surname referring to a maker of barrel staves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Bortscheller. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bortscheller 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Bortscheller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortscheller, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bortscheller
The surname Bortscheller is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century in the southern regions of Bavaria and Austria. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Bort," which means "edge" or "border," combined with the occupational suffix "-scheller," meaning "one who rings bells."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bortscheller can be found in the parish records of Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, dating back to 1587, where a certain Johannes Bortscheller was mentioned as a resident. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone living or working near the edge or border of a town or village and whose occupation involved ringing bells, possibly a church bell-ringer or a town crier.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various historical records across southern Germany and Austria. For instance, a Georg Bortscheller was documented as a landowner in the village of Kirchberg am Wagram, Lower Austria, in 1642. Additionally, the Bortscheller name was found in the baptismal records of the town of Traunstein, Bavaria, in 1679, with the birth of a child named Anna Bortscheller.
One notable individual with the Bortscheller surname was Johann Baptist Bortscheller (1760-1828), a Bavarian architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the region around Munich. Another figure was Franz Xaver Bortscheller (1812-1892), a renowned Austrian theologian and professor at the University of Vienna, who authored several influential works on Catholic doctrine.
In the 19th century, the Bortscheller name spread across Germany and Austria, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions in various fields. For example, Karl Bortscheller (1836-1904) was a German composer and music teacher from Saxony, known for his compositions for piano and chamber ensembles. Meanwhile, in Austria, Georg Bortscheller (1868-1937) was a respected lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Austrian Parliament.
As the Bortscheller family expanded and migrated, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Bortscher, Bortschler, or Bortscheller, reflecting regional dialects and language differences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its German heritage, reflecting the historical and cultural significance of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bortscheller
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortscheller, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bortscheller 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 Bortscheller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bortscheller
Bortscheller 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+7 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,354 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+7 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 2,354 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 4,152 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 Bortscheller 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 | #146,201 | #142,049 | 2.8% |
| Count | 113 | 120 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bortscheller bearers went from 113 to 120 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 4,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,049.
FAQ
Bortscheller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bortscheller?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Bortscheller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Bortscheller?
Bortscheller ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Bortscheller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bortscheller.
Has Bortscheller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bortscheller went from 113 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 7 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Bortscheller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bortscheller, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (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 Bortscheller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bortscheller 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 (3.3%), Black (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 Bortscheller (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 Bortscheller mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of barrel staves. 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 Bortscheller (0.04 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 common is the surname Bortscheller?
Want to know how many people have the last name Bortscheller? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.