2000
#87,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Berri
A Basque surname derived from the Gascon word 'berri' meaning 'new' or 'recent'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 315 Americans carry the last name Berri. That puts it at #75,616 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,088,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berri 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
315
1 in 1,088,109
Census rank
#75,616
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
275
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 275 bearers of the surname Berri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75616th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berri, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berri
The surname BERRI is believed to have originated in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word "berri," which means "new" or "recent." This could suggest that the name was initially given to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or had established a new settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BERRI can be found in the Cartulary of St. John the Baptist of Sorde, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. It mentions a person named Arnaldus de Berri, who was a landowner in the region.
In the 13th century, there are references to a place called "Villa Berri" in the historical archives of the Kingdom of Navarre, which was located in the present-day Basque region. This suggests that the name may have also been associated with a specific location.
During the medieval period, the BERRI surname was particularly prevalent in the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Navarre, as well as in the neighboring French region of Aquitaine. Notable individuals with this surname from this era include:
1. Sancho Berri (c. 1260 - 1300), a prominent nobleman and military leader who fought in the Navarrese-Aragonese War.
2. Petri Berri (c. 1320 - 1380), a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Bayonne, Aquitaine.
As the BERRI surname spread beyond the Basque region, it encountered various spelling variations, such as Berry, Berrie, and Berie. In England, the name is sometimes associated with the town of Berry Pomeroy in Devon, which may have influenced the spelling variation.
Notable individuals with the BERRI surname in later centuries include:
3. Jean de Berri (1510 - 1586), a French poet and playwright from the Renaissance period.
4. Nathaniel Berry (1684 - 1766), an English naval officer and explorer who helped establish British settlements in the Caribbean.
5. Hiram Gregory Berry (1824 - 1863), an American politician and Union Army officer who served during the American Civil War.
While the BERRI surname has its roots in the Basque region, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by migration and cultural exchange. The name continues to be a legacy of the rich linguistic and historical heritage of the Basque people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berri
Among Census respondents with the surname Berri, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Berri 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 Berri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 230
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 16
- Black or African American4.7% · 13
- Two or more races3.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berri
Berri 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
#84,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221
+23 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 2,600 places
2020
#75,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 275
+54 bearers (+24.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 9,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #87,348 | 198 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #84,748 | 221 | 0.07 | +23 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 2,600 places |
| 2020 | #75,616 | 275 | 0.09 | +54 bearers (+24.4%) | Up 9,132 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 Berri 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 | #84,748 | #75,616 | 10.8% |
| Count | 221 | 275 | 24.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 31.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berri bearers went from 221 to 275 (+24.4% change). The surname moved up 9,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #84,748 to #75,616.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Berri
FAQ
Berri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berri?
Name Census estimates that about 315 living Americans carry the surname Berri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,088,109 residents.
How common is Berri?
Berri ranks #75,616 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 275 people with the surname Berri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Berri.
Has Berri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berri went from 221 recorded bearers to 275. That is an increase of 54 (+24.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #84,748 to #75,616.
What does the Census say about the background of Berri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berri, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (4.7%). 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 Berri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (230 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Hispanic (5.8%), Black (4.7%). 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 Berri (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 Berri mean?
A Basque surname derived from the Gascon word 'berri' meaning 'new' or 'recent'. 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 Berri (0.09 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 Berri?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.