Explore the Family Name Berns
The meaning of Berns
1. Dutch and German: patronymic from the personal name Bern, a variant of Bernd. 2. Latvian: from a short form of the personal name Bernards (see Bernard). 3. Irish (Kildare): from the Gaelic personal name Ó Broin (see Byrne). 4. English, Scottish, and Irish: variant of Burns. 5. English: variant of Barnes.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Berns in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Berns has seen a slight shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Berns was ranked as the 10,253rd most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped slightly to the 10,268th position, marking a modest change of -0.15%. However, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased from 2,883 to 3,139 during this period, demonstrating a growth of 8.88%. The proportion per 100,000 people also saw a marginal decrease of -0.93%, moving from 1.07 to 1.06.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,253 | #10,268 | -0.15% |
| Count | 2,883 | 3,139 | 8.88% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.07 | 1.06 | -0.93% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Berns
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals interesting shifts among those bearing the Berns surname. A majority of them identify as white, though this proportion decreased from 95.28% in 2000 to 93.85% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander nearly doubled during this time from 0.31% to 0.51%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native group witnessed the most significant increase of 111.90%, albeit from a small base of 0.42% to 0.89%. The portion of people with this surname identifying as Hispanic rose from 1.70% to 2.39%, while the Black and Two or more races categories showed minimal changes, increasing from 1.49% to 1.50% and 0.80% to 0.86% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.28% | 93.85% | -1.5% |
| Hispanic | 1.7% | 2.39% | 40.59% |
| Black | 1.49% | 1.5% | 0.67% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.42% | 0.89% | 111.9% |
| Two or More Races | 0.8% | 0.86% | 7.5% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.31% | 0.51% | 64.52% |
Berns ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Berns is French & German, which comprises 32.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (23.8%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (23.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 32.4% |
| British & Irish | 23.8% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 23.2% |
| Other | 20.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Berns
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Berns have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 52.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 52.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 52.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 51.40% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 51.40% |
What Berns haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Berns is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Berns surname are: H1, U2_3_4_7_8_9, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Berns have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Berns" Surname 37.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Berns" Surname 32.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Berns" Surname 66.7%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Berns" Surname 9.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Berns?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Berns are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition