2000
#10,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,787
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Borchers
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "burge," meaning a surety or guarantor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,251 Americans carry the last name Borchers. That puts it at #10,750 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,430 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borchers 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
3.3K
1 in 105,430
Census rank
#10,750
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,835 bearers of the surname Borchers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10750th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borchers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borchers
The surname Borchers originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to the 12th century in the northern regions of the country. It is derived from the Low German words "bor" (meaning "to bore" or "drill") and "ker" (meaning "maker" or "craftsman"), suggesting an occupational origin for individuals engaged in the trade of drilling or boring holes.
Historically, the name Borchers was particularly prevalent in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, where many families with this surname can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The first documented mention of the name appears in a manuscript from the year 1187, referring to a certain "Johannes Borchers" who was a tradesman in the city of Bremen.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Borchers surname gained prominence in various regions of northern Germany, with several notable individuals bearing this name. One such figure was Hinrich Borchers, a respected merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Lübeck during the late 15th century.
As the name spread across German-speaking territories, variations in spelling emerged, including Borcher, Borchers, Borker, and Borker. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local customs of record-keeping.
One of the earliest known references to the Borchers name outside of Germany can be found in the records of the Dutch East India Company, where a sailor named Pieter Borchers is mentioned as having embarked on a voyage to the East Indies in 1624.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Borchers surname. For example, Johann Borchers (1576-1633) was a renowned Lutheran theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Rostock. Another notable figure was the German architect and urban planner, Friedrich Borchers (1844-1909), who was responsible for the design of several iconic buildings in Berlin during the late 19th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Borchers is associated with the German novelist and playwright, Elisabeth Borchers (1926-2013), who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of identity and personal relationships.
It is worth noting that the Borchers surname has also been adopted by various families in other parts of Europe and beyond, likely through migration or intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the skilled craftsmen and tradesmen of northern Germany, who bore this distinctive surname as a mark of their occupation and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borchers
Among Census respondents with the surname Borchers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Borchers 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 Borchers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 2,654
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 85
- Two or more races1.9% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borchers
Borchers 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
#11,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,881
+94 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 469 places
2020
#10,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,835
-46 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,566 | 2,787 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,035 | 2,881 | 0.98 | +94 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 469 places |
| 2020 | #10,750 | 2,835 | 0.95 | -46 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 285 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 Borchers 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 | #11,035 | #10,750 | 2.6% |
| Count | 2,881 | 2,835 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.95 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borchers bearers went from 2,881 to 2,835 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 285 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,035 to #10,750.
FAQ
Borchers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borchers?
Name Census estimates that about 3,251 living Americans carry the surname Borchers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,430 residents.
How common is Borchers?
Borchers ranks #10,750 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,835 people with the surname Borchers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Borchers.
Has Borchers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borchers went from 2,881 recorded bearers to 2,835. That is a decrease of 46 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,035 to #10,750.
What does the Census say about the background of Borchers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borchers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Borchers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (2,654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borchers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Borchers (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 Borchers mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "burge," meaning a surety or guarantor. 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 Borchers (0.95 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 Borchers?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.