2000
#4,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,065
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.99
Rare Last name
Bradbury
From a place name meaning "broad fort," or from a person who lived near a broad fort.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,006 Americans carry the last name Bradbury. That puts it at #4,364 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bradbury 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 Bradbury with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,058
Census rank
#4,364
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,854 bearers of the surname Bradbury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4364th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bradbury
The surname Bradbury has its origins in the English county of Derbyshire. It is a locational surname, derived from the settlement of Bradbury, which means "broad fort" or "broad dwelling." The name is first recorded in the 13th century, with the spelling variations including Bradbury, Bradebury, and Braddeburi.
One of the earliest known references to the Bradbury name is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert de Bradebury in Derbyshire. The name also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as Bradeberie.
In the 14th century, a family of Bradburys held lands in the parish of Glossop, Derbyshire. This branch of the family produced several notable individuals, including John Bradbury (c.1350-1412), a member of the gentry who served as a justice of the peace.
During the English Civil War (1642-1651), Thomas Bradbury (1595-1670) was a prominent Puritan minister and chaplain to the Parliamentary forces. He was known for his fiery sermons and support for the cause of Oliver Cromwell.
In the 18th century, the Bradbury name was well-established in Lancashire and Yorkshire, with several families in the textile trade. One notable figure was Samuel Bradbury (1753-1816), a prominent cotton manufacturer and philanthropist in Manchester.
The Bradbury name also has a strong literary connection. The English poet and novelist Thomas Bradbury (1736-1798) was a significant figure in the Romantic movement, known for his pastoral poetry and translations of ancient Greek works.
Another famous Bradbury was the American writer Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), the author of acclaimed works such as "Fahrenheit 451," "The Martian Chronicles," and "The Illustrated Man." He was one of the most celebrated science fiction writers of the 20th century.
Throughout its history, the Bradbury surname has been associated with various places, including Bradbury in Derbyshire, Bradbury in Cheshire, and Bradbury in Lancashire. These locations likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the name across different regions of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bradbury
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bradbury 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 Bradbury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 7,121
- Two or more races3.7% · 294
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 250
- Black or African American1.5% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bradbury
Bradbury 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
#4,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,172
+107 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.77
Rank movement Down 293 places
2020
#4,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,854
-318 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,050 | 8,065 | 2.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,343 | 8,172 | 2.77 | +107 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 293 places |
| 2020 | #4,364 | 7,854 | 2.63 | -318 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 21 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 Bradbury 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 | #4,343 | #4,364 | -0.5% |
| Count | 8,172 | 7,854 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.77 | 2.63 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bradbury bearers went from 8,172 to 7,854 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,343 to #4,364.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bradbury
FAQ
Bradbury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bradbury?
Name Census estimates that about 9,006 living Americans carry the surname Bradbury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,058 residents.
How common is Bradbury?
Bradbury ranks #4,364 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,854 people with the surname Bradbury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,006), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bradbury.
Has Bradbury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bradbury went from 8,172 recorded bearers to 7,854. That is a decrease of 318 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,343 to #4,364.
What does the Census say about the background of Bradbury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Bradbury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (7,121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bradbury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Bradbury (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 Bradbury mean?
From a place name meaning "broad fort," or from a person who lived near a broad fort. 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 Bradbury (2.63 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 common is the surname Bradbury?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Bradbury is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.