2000
#2,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.83
Uncommon Last name
Burkhart
A German surname derived from the Old High German words "burg" (fortress) and "hart" (strong or brave).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,397 Americans carry the last name Burkhart. That puts it at #2,341 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,702 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burkhart 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
17K
1 in 19,702
Census rank
#2,341
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,171 bearers of the surname Burkhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2341st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burkhart
The surname Burkhart originated in the German regions of Bavaria and Swabia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German words "burc" meaning a fortified place or castle, and "hart" meaning hardy or brave. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a castle or fortress, or who worked as a guard or soldier.
One of the earliest known records of the name Burkhart dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony. The name was also found in the Hirsauer Codex, a manuscript from the Hirsau Abbey in the Black Forest region of Germany, dated around 1300.
In the 14th century, the name Burkhart appeared in the Hausbuch der Mendelschen zwölfbrüderstiftung, a household book from the city of Nuremberg. This record listed individuals with the surname Burkhart living in the area during that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Burkhart was Hans Burkhart, a German painter and woodcarver who lived in the late 15th century and early 16th century. He was known for his religious artwork and altarpieces, many of which can still be found in churches throughout Bavaria and Swabia.
Another notable figure was Johann Burkhart, a German theologian and Protestant reformer who lived from 1508 to 1566. He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Germany.
In the 17th century, the name Burkhart was found in the records of the city of Augsburg, where several families with this surname were documented as living in the area. One of these families included Johann Georg Burkhart, a prominent merchant and city councilor who lived from 1628 to 1701.
During the 18th century, the surname Burkhart spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. One notable individual was Johann Jakob Burkhart, a Swiss composer and organist who lived from 1705 to 1786. He composed numerous works for the organ and was highly regarded in his time.
As the name Burkhart spread, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Burckhart, Burckhardt, and Burkaart, depending on the region and local dialects. However, the root meaning and origin remained the same, tracing back to the fortified places and castles of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burkhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Burkhart 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 Burkhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 13,836
- Two or more races3.8% · 582
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 483
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 98
- Black or African American0.5% · 72
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burkhart
Burkhart 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
#2,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,526
+808 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 5.60
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#2,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,171
-1,355 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 5.08
Rank movement Down 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,117 | 15,718 | 5.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,204 | 16,526 | 5.60 | +808 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #2,341 | 15,171 | 5.08 | -1,355 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 137 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 Burkhart 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 | #2,204 | #2,341 | -6.2% |
| Count | 16,526 | 15,171 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.60 | 5.08 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burkhart bearers went from 16,526 to 15,171 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,204 to #2,341.
FAQ
Burkhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burkhart?
Name Census estimates that about 17,397 living Americans carry the surname Burkhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,702 residents.
How common is Burkhart?
Burkhart ranks #2,341 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,171 people with the surname Burkhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,397), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Burkhart.
Has Burkhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burkhart went from 16,526 recorded bearers to 15,171. That is a decrease of 1,355 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,204 to #2,341.
What does the Census say about the background of Burkhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Burkhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (13,836 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burkhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Burkhart (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 Burkhart mean?
A German surname derived from the Old High German words "burg" (fortress) and "hart" (strong or brave). 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 Burkhart (5.08 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 Burkhart?
Want to know how many people have the last name Burkhart? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.