2000
#1,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.43
Uncommon Last name
Berman
A Jewish surname derived from the German word "bär" or Yiddish "ber," meaning "bear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,347 Americans carry the last name Berman. That puts it at #2,350 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Berman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,759
Census rank
#2,350
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,127 bearers of the surname Berman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2350th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berman
The surname Berman originated in the Germanic regions of Europe, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "ber" meaning bear and "mann" meaning man, suggesting that it may have been an occupational surname given to a bear hunter or someone who worked with bears.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berman can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 12th century, which mentions a person named "Bermannvs" in a land transaction in the region of modern-day Bavaria.
During the Middle Ages, the name Berman appeared in various forms such as "Bermann," "Berman," and "Behrmann," reflecting regional spelling variations. It is believed that the name was particularly prevalent in the regions of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
In the 14th century, records from the city of Nuremberg mention a prominent citizen named Hans Berman, who was a successful merchant and served on the city council. Another notable figure bearing the name was Johann Berman, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 16th century and wrote extensively on religious matters.
As people began to migrate across Europe, the name Berman spread to other regions. In England, the earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 16th century, with a record of a marriage between John Berman and Elizabeth Greene in 1587 in the parish of St. Giles, London.
One of the most renowned individuals with the surname Berman was Jacob Berman (1688-1769), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He was a member of the prestigious Royal Society in London and corresponded with notable scientists of his time, including Isaac Newton.
Another notable figure was Adolph Berman (1825-1881), a German-American artist and lithographer who emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. He is known for his lithographic portraits of prominent American figures, including Abraham Lincoln.
In the 20th century, one of the most influential individuals with the surname Berman was Irving Berman (1901-1989), an American film producer and executive who played a pivotal role in the development of the Hollywood studio system during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable individuals associated with the surname Berman, which has its roots in the Germanic regions of Europe and has since spread across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berman
Among Census respondents with the surname Berman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Berman 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 Berman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 13,920
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 525
- Two or more races2.6% · 388
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 175
- Black or African American0.7% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berman
Berman 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
#2,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,025
-1,321 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 370 places
2020
#2,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,127
-898 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 5.06
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,901 | 17,346 | 6.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,271 | 16,025 | 5.43 | -1,321 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 370 places |
| 2020 | #2,350 | 15,127 | 5.06 | -898 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 79 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 Berman 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 | #2,271 | #2,350 | -3.5% |
| Count | 16,025 | 15,127 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.43 | 5.06 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berman bearers went from 16,025 to 15,127 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,271 to #2,350.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Berman
FAQ
Berman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berman?
Name Census estimates that about 17,347 living Americans carry the surname Berman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,759 residents.
How common is Berman?
Berman ranks #2,350 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.06 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 15,127 people with the surname Berman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.06 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 Berman.
Has Berman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berman went from 16,025 recorded bearers to 15,127. That is a decrease of 898 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,271 to #2,350.
What does the Census say about the background of Berman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Berman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (13,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Berman (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 Berman mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the German word "bär" or Yiddish "ber," meaning "bear." 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 Berman (5.06 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 many people are called Berman?
See how many Americans have the surname Berman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.