2000
#11,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Bradburn
From an English placename meaning "broad stream," or alternatively, a nickname for someone with a fiery personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,787 Americans carry the last name Bradburn. That puts it at #12,224 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bradburn 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bradburn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,983
Census rank
#12,224
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,430 bearers of the surname Bradburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12224th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bradburn
The surname Bradburn is of English origin, derived from a locational name referring to a place in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is composed of two elements: the Old English words "brad" meaning broad, and "burna" meaning a stream or a small river. The name likely originated during the Anglo-Saxon period, referring to someone who lived near a broad stream or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bradeburne." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century and possibly even earlier.
In the 13th century, the name appears as "Bradburn" in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, which encompassed parts of Yorkshire. This spelling variation indicates the name's evolution over time.
Notably, the Bradburn surname has been associated with several historical figures throughout the centuries. One such individual was Sir John Bradburn (c. 1500-1570), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Bradburn (1776-1842), a Methodist minister and writer who served as the President of the Wesleyan Conference in 1833. His works, including "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Thomas Bradbury," shed light on the religious landscape of the time.
In the 19th century, George Bradburn (1805-1886) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Bromley, Kent.
The name Bradburn has also been associated with literary figures, such as Samuel Bradburn (1751-1818), an English Methodist preacher and author who wrote several influential works on religious subjects.
Furthermore, the Bradburn surname can be found in various place names across England, such as Bradburn Village in Derbyshire and Bradburn Farm in Cumbria, reflecting the name's geographical origins and dispersal over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bradburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bradburn 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 Bradburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 2,152
- Two or more races4.7% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 84
- Black or African American2.1% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bradburn
Bradburn 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
#12,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
+130 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#12,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,430
-95 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,964 | 2,395 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,312 | 2,525 | 0.86 | +130 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #12,224 | 2,430 | 0.81 | -95 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 88 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 Bradburn 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 | #12,312 | #12,224 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,525 | 2,430 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.81 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bradburn bearers went from 2,525 to 2,430 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,312 to #12,224.
FAQ
Bradburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bradburn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,787 living Americans carry the surname Bradburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,983 residents.
How common is Bradburn?
Bradburn ranks #12,224 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,430 people with the surname Bradburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,787), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Bradburn.
Has Bradburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bradburn went from 2,525 recorded bearers to 2,430. That is a decrease of 95 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,312 to #12,224.
What does the Census say about the background of Bradburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Bradburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (2,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bradburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Bradburn (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 Bradburn mean?
From an English placename meaning "broad stream," or alternatively, a nickname for someone with a fiery personality. 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 Bradburn (0.81 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 Bradburn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.