2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Birckett
A variant of the locational surname referring to someone from Birkett in Cumbria, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Birckett. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Birckett 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Birckett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Birckett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.6%) and Hispanic (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Birckett
The surname Birckett is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a small village or hamlet. The surname may have stemmed from the Old English words "byrig" meaning a fortified place or town, and "get" meaning a gap or opening, suggesting a place situated near the entrance to a fortified town or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Birckett can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from the year 1186, where a person named Robert de Bircket is mentioned. This indicates that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records across different counties in England, such as the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire in 1240, where a William de Birchet is listed, and the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275, which mention a John de Burchet.
The Birckett surname is also found in the renowned Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and taxation compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. In this historical document, there is a reference to a place called "Birchet" in Derbyshire, which may have been the origin of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Birckett throughout history include:
1. Sir John Birckett (1615-1692), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in the 17th century.
2. Robert Birckett (1760-1832), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Naval General Service Medal for his contributions.
3. Elizabeth Birckett (1822-1901), a pioneering British educator and advocate for women's education, who founded the Birckett School for Girls in London in 1854.
4. Henry Birckett (1867-1943), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Twickenham Town Hall and the Birckett Memorial Library.
5. Alice Birckett (1905-1987), a British author and playwright known for her historical novels set in medieval England, such as "The Falcon and the Dove" and "The Wayward Wind."
While the surname Birckett is not among the most common in modern times, its historical roots and variations showcase the rich tapestry of English surnames and their origins, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped them over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Birckett
Among Census respondents with the surname Birckett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.6%) and Hispanic (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Birckett 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 Birckett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.6% · 68
- White19.6% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 9
- Two or more races7.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Birckett
Birckett appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,405 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 Birckett 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 | #156,044 | #151,639 | 2.8% |
| Count | 104 | 107 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Birckett bearers went from 104 to 107 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #151,639.
FAQ
Birckett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Birckett?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Birckett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Birckett?
Birckett ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Birckett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Birckett.
Has Birckett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Birckett went from 104 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Birckett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Birckett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.6%. The next largest groups are White (19.6%) and Hispanic (8.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Birckett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Birckett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.6%), White (19.6%), Hispanic (8.4%). 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 Birckett (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 Birckett mean?
A variant of the locational surname referring to someone from Birkett in Cumbria, England. 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 Birckett (0.04 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 Birckett?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.