Brewster
Occupational name denoting a brewer of beer or ale.
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the first name Brewster. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Brewster today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Brewster births was 1922 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Brewster. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
159
~ 1 in 2,155,688 Americans
Peak year
1922
13 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,295
Tracked since 1913
Census
Brewster in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 308 people with the first name Brewster, which placed it at #28,952 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,952
National first-name rank
People counted
308
308 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
75.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brewster
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brewster is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Brewster 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Brewster at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 232
- Black or African American12.0% · 37
- Two or more races4.9% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 7
Popularity
Brewster: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Brewster from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 83 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Brewster by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Brewster during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Brewster
The name Brewster has its origins in the Old English language, deriving from the term "brēowere," which translates to "brewer" or "maker of brewed beverages." This occupational name emerged during the Middle Ages, a time when brewing was a respected and vital craft, playing a significant role in many communities.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Brewster can be traced back to the 13th century, with records indicating individuals bearing this moniker residing in various regions of England. It's believed that the name may have initially been bestowed upon those involved in the brewing trade or those associated with the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages.
Historically, the name Brewster has been linked to several notable individuals throughout the centuries. One such figure was William Brewster, a influential leader of the Pilgrims who sailed aboard the Mayflower in 1620. Born in 1567, Brewster played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, serving as an advisor and preacher to the Pilgrim settlers.
Another renowned individual bearing the name Brewster was Sir David Brewster, a Scottish physicist and mathematician who lived from 1781 to 1868. He made significant contributions to the field of optics, including the invention of the kaleidoscope and the discovery of the phenomenon known as Brewster's angle, which describes the polarization of light when reflected from a surface.
In the realm of literature, Brewster Jennings (1844-1900) was an American author and editor who penned several works of fiction, including "The Luck of Roaring Camp" and "The Outcast of Poker Flat." His literary contributions earned him recognition as a prominent figure in the American literary scene of the late 19th century.
The name Brewster also gained prominence in the realm of sports, with Brewster Higley (1823-1911), an American poet and songwriter, composing the famous "Home on the Range" in the late 19th century. This iconic song has become an enduring part of American folklore and a beloved anthem celebrating the spirit of the American West.
Additionally, Brewster Morgan (1867-1946), an American artist and illustrator, left an indelible mark on the art world with his vibrant depictions of rural life and landscapes. His works, often featuring scenes from the American countryside, captured the essence of small-town living and the beauty of nature.
People
Brewster + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Brewster as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Brewster: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Brewster?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Brewster going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,155,688 US residents.
Is Brewster a common name?
We classify Brewster as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 355 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Brewster most popular?
The single biggest year for Brewster was 1922, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Brewster is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Brewster in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 308 people with the name Brewster, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,952 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Brewster in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Brewster?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Brewster leans strongly male. 294 people counted with this name were male (97.0%), compared with 9 female bearers (3.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Brewster?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Brewster is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Brewster most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Brewster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (232 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Brewster in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Brewster a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Brewster in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Brewster still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Brewster in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Brewster can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Brewster?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.