2000
#31,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 684
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Berte
A surname of French origin meaning "bright" or "illustrious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 760 Americans carry the last name Berte. That puts it at #36,342 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 450,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Berte 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
760
1 in 450,993
Census rank
#36,342
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
663
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 663 bearers of the surname Berte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36342nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Berte, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Berte
The surname Berte originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Bertram, which is composed of the elements "beraht" meaning "bright" and "hraim" meaning "raven." The name likely originated in the region of Normandy, where many Germanic names were adopted following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berte can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions a landowner named Robertus Berte in the county of Lincolnshire.
During the 12th century, the name Berte was prominent in the Arthurian legend of Sir Bertrand du Guesclin, a famous French knight and military commander who played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War against the English. He was born around 1320 in Brittany and died in 1380.
In the 13th century, a notable figure with the surname Berte was Jean Berte, a French scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Paris. He was born in the village of Berte, near Dijon, in 1225 and died in 1292.
Another historical figure with the surname Berte was Guillaume Berte, a French architect and sculptor who lived in the 15th century. He is best known for his work on the Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley, one of the most famous Renaissance châteaux in France.
During the 16th century, the name Berte was associated with the family of the same name in the town of Berte-sur-Oise, located in the Picardy region of northern France. This area was once known as the County of Berte, suggesting the name's long-standing connection to the region.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Berte was Pierre Berte, a French explorer and trader who was among the first Europeans to establish settlements in the Great Lakes region of North America. He was born in Normandy in 1645 and died in Quebec in 1718.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Berte
Among Census respondents with the surname Berte, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Berte 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 Berte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 552
- Black or African American7.1% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 36
- Two or more races3.0% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Berte
Berte 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
#41,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 525
-159 bearers (-23.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 9,542 places
2020
#36,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 663
+138 bearers (+26.3%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 5,084 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,884 | 684 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,426 | 525 | 0.18 | -159 bearers (-23.2%) | Down 9,542 places |
| 2020 | #36,342 | 663 | 0.22 | +138 bearers (+26.3%) | Up 5,084 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 Berte 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 | #41,426 | #36,342 | 12.3% |
| Count | 525 | 663 | 26.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.22 | 23.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Berte bearers went from 525 to 663 (+26.3% change). The surname moved up 5,084 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,426 to #36,342.
FAQ
Berte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Berte?
Name Census estimates that about 760 living Americans carry the surname Berte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 450,993 residents.
How common is Berte?
Berte ranks #36,342 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 663 people with the surname Berte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Berte.
Has Berte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Berte went from 525 recorded bearers to 663. That is an increase of 138 (+26.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #41,426 to #36,342.
What does the Census say about the background of Berte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Berte, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Berte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (552 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Berte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Berte (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 Berte mean?
A surname of French origin meaning "bright" or "illustrious." 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 Berte (0.22 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 have the surname Berte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.