2000
#6,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,966
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Burkhalter
An occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked at a birch wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,472 Americans carry the last name Burkhalter. That puts it at #6,799 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,638 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burkhalter 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
5.5K
1 in 62,638
Census rank
#6,799
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,772 bearers of the surname Burkhalter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6799th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkhalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burkhalter
The surname Burkhalter is of German origin, hailing from the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is believed to have originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the German words "Burg," meaning castle or fortified town, and "Halter," meaning keeper or caretaker.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Burkhalter can be found in a document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1389. This document mentions a certain "Hans Burkhalter," who was a member of the local guild of blacksmiths. Another early mention of the name is found in the records of the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, where a "Kunz Burkhalter" is listed as a citizen in 1421.
In the 16th century, the Burkhalter name appears in several historical records related to the Reformation movement in Germany. One notable figure from this period is Johann Burkhalter (1494-1564), a Protestant theologian and reformer who worked alongside Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon.
As the Burkhalter family spread across different regions of Germany, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Burckhalter, Burghalter, or Burgkhalter. These variations often reflected local dialects or scribal errors in transcribing the name.
One of the earliest known Burkhalters to emigrate from Germany was Hans Burkhalter (1622-1698), who settled in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York) in the mid-17th century. He is considered to be the progenitor of many Burkhalter families in North America.
Another notable individual with the Burkhalter surname was Johann Conrad Burkhalter (1726-1789), a Swiss-German painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works. He was active in the city of Nuremberg during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Burkhalter name gained prominence in the field of watchmaking, particularly in Switzerland. One example is Jacques Burkhalter (1818-1892), a renowned Swiss watchmaker who established a successful business in the town of Le Locle.
As the Burkhalter family spread across different parts of Europe and eventually to other continents, the name became associated with various professions, from artisans and tradesmen to scholars and professionals in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burkhalter
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkhalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Burkhalter 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 Burkhalter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 3,718
- Black or African American13.0% · 618
- Two or more races4.9% · 232
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burkhalter
Burkhalter 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
#6,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,282
+316 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#6,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,772
-510 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 368 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,320 | 4,966 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,431 | 5,282 | 1.79 | +316 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #6,799 | 4,772 | 1.60 | -510 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 368 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 Burkhalter 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 | #6,431 | #6,799 | -5.7% |
| Count | 5,282 | 4,772 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.60 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burkhalter bearers went from 5,282 to 4,772 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 368 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,431 to #6,799.
FAQ
Burkhalter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burkhalter?
Name Census estimates that about 5,472 living Americans carry the surname Burkhalter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,638 residents.
How common is Burkhalter?
Burkhalter ranks #6,799 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,772 people with the surname Burkhalter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,472), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Burkhalter.
Has Burkhalter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burkhalter went from 5,282 recorded bearers to 4,772. That is a decrease of 510 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,431 to #6,799.
What does the Census say about the background of Burkhalter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkhalter, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Burkhalter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (3,718 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burkhalter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Black (13.0%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Burkhalter (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 Burkhalter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked at a birch wood. 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 Burkhalter (1.60 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 Burkhalter?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.