2000
#6,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,883
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Braddock
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Braddock in England and Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,211 Americans carry the last name Braddock. That puts it at #7,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,775 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braddock 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 Braddock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,775
Census rank
#7,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,544 bearers of the surname Braddock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braddock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braddock
The surname Braddock is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have been derived from a place name, referring to a location in the county of Essex, England known as Braddock or Broadoak.
In its earliest recorded form, the name appeared as "Bradehoc" in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and property compiled by order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the 11th century.
The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "brad" meaning broad and "ac" meaning oak, likely describing a broad oak tree or a settlement situated near such a landmark. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Braddock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1196, where a certain William Braddock is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk from 1310, which documents a land transaction involving a John Braddock.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appears to have spread beyond its Essex roots, with records showing Braddocks residing in various parts of England, including Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire, and Kent.
Notable individuals with the surname Braddock throughout history include:
1. Sir Edward Braddock (1695-1755), a British Army officer best known for his disastrous defeat in the Battle of the Monongahela during the French and Indian War.
2. John Braddock (c.1500-1570), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Wigan during the reign of Queen Mary I.
3. Thomas Braddock (c.1540-1609), a prominent English merchant and benefactor who founded a free school in Wigan, Lancashire.
4. James Braddock (1905-1974), an American boxer who became the world heavyweight champion after defeating Max Baer in 1935.
5. Harry Braddock (1913-1997), a British football player who played as a winger for Sheffield United and represented England at the international level.
The Braddock surname has been carried across the globe by generations of immigrants and continues to be found in various countries today, though its origins can be traced back to the historic roots of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braddock
Among Census respondents with the surname Braddock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Braddock 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 Braddock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 3,584
- Black or African American12.8% · 580
- Two or more races4.1% · 186
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 157
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braddock
Braddock 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
#6,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,906
+23 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 438 places
2020
#7,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,544
-362 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,420 | 4,883 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,858 | 4,906 | 1.66 | +23 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 438 places |
| 2020 | #7,102 | 4,544 | 1.52 | -362 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 244 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 Braddock 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 | #6,858 | #7,102 | -3.6% |
| Count | 4,906 | 4,544 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.52 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braddock bearers went from 4,906 to 4,544 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 244 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,858 to #7,102.
FAQ
Braddock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braddock?
Name Census estimates that about 5,211 living Americans carry the surname Braddock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,775 residents.
How common is Braddock?
Braddock ranks #7,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,544 people with the surname Braddock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,211), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Braddock.
Has Braddock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braddock went from 4,906 recorded bearers to 4,544. That is a decrease of 362 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,858 to #7,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Braddock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braddock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Braddock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (3,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braddock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (12.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Braddock (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 Braddock mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Braddock in England and Scotland. 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 Braddock (1.52 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 Braddock?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.