2000
#8,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,344
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Berge
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,640 Americans carry the last name Berge. That puts it at #9,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,163 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berge 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
3.6K
1 in 94,163
Census rank
#9,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,174 bearers of the surname Berge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berge, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berge
The surname BERGE has its origins in Germany and the Netherlands, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old German word "berg", meaning "hill" or "mountain", suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived near a prominent hill or mountainous region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BERGE name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Westphalia, Germany, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name has a long and established history in this part of Europe.
In the Netherlands, the BERGE surname is closely associated with the town of Bergen op Zoom, which translates to "Bergen on the Hill". This town, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant, has a rich history dating back to the 13th century, and it is likely that many individuals bearing the BERGE name originated from or had ties to this area.
A notable figure in history with the BERGE surname was Johannes Berge, a Dutch scholar and theologian who lived from 1587 to 1658. He was a prominent figure in the Dutch Reformed Church and served as a professor at the University of Leiden.
Another significant individual was Johann Berge, a German composer and organist who lived from 1681 to 1738. He was known for his contributions to the development of the North German Baroque style of organ music.
In the realm of literature, Matthias Claudius (born Matthias Berge, 1740-1815) was a renowned German poet and writer of the Enlightenment period. His works, such as the poem "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" ("The Moon Has Risen"), have become classics in German literature.
The BERGE surname has also been associated with notable figures in the fields of science and exploration. One such example is Friedrich Wilhelm Berge, a German explorer and naturalist who lived from 1827 to 1884. He made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in South America, particularly in Brazil and Argentina.
Lastly, Jürgen Berge, born in 1938, is a contemporary German physicist and academic. He has made significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics, particularly in the areas of quantum field theory and particle physics.
These examples demonstrate the diverse and rich history associated with the BERGE surname, spanning various fields and time periods, and reflecting the name's deep roots in German and Dutch culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berge
Among Census respondents with the surname Berge, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Berge 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 Berge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,895
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 124
- Two or more races3.2% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
- Black or African American0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berge
Berge 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
#9,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,444
+100 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 455 places
2020
#9,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,174
-270 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 309 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,991 | 3,344 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,446 | 3,444 | 1.17 | +100 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 455 places |
| 2020 | #9,755 | 3,174 | 1.06 | -270 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 309 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 Berge 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 | #9,446 | #9,755 | -3.3% |
| Count | 3,444 | 3,174 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.06 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berge bearers went from 3,444 to 3,174 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 309 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,446 to #9,755.
FAQ
Berge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berge?
Name Census estimates that about 3,640 living Americans carry the surname Berge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,163 residents.
How common is Berge?
Berge ranks #9,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,174 people with the surname Berge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Berge.
Has Berge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berge went from 3,444 recorded bearers to 3,174. That is a decrease of 270 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,446 to #9,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Berge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berge, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Berge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,895 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (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 Berge (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 Berge mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or mountain. 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 Berge (1.06 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 Berge?
You can see how many people have the surname Berge on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.