Behrens
A German patronymic surname meaning “son of Behrend,” ultimately tied to the old Germanic name Bernhard, “bear-hard” or “strong as a bear.”
The #3,398 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,337 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Behrens is a German genitive patronymic: it originally meant “of Behrend,” or “Behrend’s son.” The name Behrend is a regional form of Bernhard, built from Germanic elements meaning “bear” and “hard, strong, brave.” Older surname dictionaries also connect Behrens with related forms such as Behring and Bernhardi.
History
The surname is especially associated with northern Germany and has spread through German-speaking migration to other countries, including the United States. Historical surname writers treated it as one of several surnames descending from the old personal name Bernhard and its many regional variants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th- and early-20th-century surname books often grouped Behrens with a whole family of Bernhard-derived names, showing how widely that old given name branched into surnames.
From the historical record
“^ bear] BEHRENS, genit. of Behrend (vyitlj dropped -d-). ' ■ BE(H)RING (Ger.) Bear's Son [f. O.H.Ger. bero, a bear -f- tUe ' son ' suff. -ing] BENOtT (Fr.) form of Benedict, q.v. in Diet. BERG (Ger.) Hill, Mountain [M.H.Ger. Q^H.Ger, bergl”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)