2000
#769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.12
Uncommon Last name
Bradshaw
Derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "wide strip of woodland" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,801 Americans carry the last name Bradshaw. That puts it at #828 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,324 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bradshaw 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 Bradshaw with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
47K
1 in 7,324
Census rank
#828
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,813 bearers of the surname Bradshaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 828th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bradshaw
The surname Bradshaw has its origins in England and is derived from the Old English words "brad" and "sceaga", which together mean "broad wood" or "broad clearing in a wood". It is believed to have originated as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a broad wooded area or clearing.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records showing variations in spelling such as Bradshawe, Bradshaghe, and Bradshaw. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Bradshaw, who was born in Cheshire, England, around 1300.
The Bradshaw name appears in the 1086 Domesday Book, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was well-established by the 11th century.
One notable historical figure with the surname Bradshaw was John Bradshaw (1602-1659), an English lawyer and judge who became famous for presiding over the trial of King Charles I in 1649, which ultimately led to the monarch's execution.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Bradshaw family settled in Marple, Cheshire, where they became prominent landowners. One member of this family was Henry Bradshaw (1517-1568), who served as a Justice of the Peace and was known for his involvement in local affairs.
Another noteworthy individual was John Bradshaw (1602-1659), an English lawyer and judge who gained notoriety for presiding over the trial of King Charles I in 1649, which resulted in the monarch's execution.
In the 18th century, a famous bearer of the Bradshaw name was Henry Bradshaw (1734-1813), a British naturalist and collector of antiquities, who made significant contributions to the study of natural history and archaeology.
During the 19th century, a prominent figure was John Bradshaw (1786-1878), a British railway engineer who played a crucial role in the development of the early railway system in England, including the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway.
It is worth mentioning that the Bradshaw name has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Bradshaw Chapel in Lancashire and Bradshaw Brook in Cheshire, further solidifying its ties to the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bradshaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bradshaw 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 Bradshaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.9% · 30,579
- Black or African American15.8% · 6,464
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,845
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,458
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 269
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 198
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bradshaw
Bradshaw 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
#818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,465
+1,671 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 14.40
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,813
-1,652 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 13.65
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #769 | 40,794 | 15.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #818 | 42,465 | 14.40 | +1,671 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #828 | 40,813 | 13.65 | -1,652 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 10 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 Bradshaw 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 | #818 | #828 | -1.2% |
| Count | 42,465 | 40,813 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 14.40 | 13.65 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bradshaw bearers went from 42,465 to 40,813 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #818 to #828.
FAQ
Bradshaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bradshaw?
Name Census estimates that about 46,801 living Americans carry the surname Bradshaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,324 residents.
How common is Bradshaw?
Bradshaw ranks #828 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,813 people with the surname Bradshaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Bradshaw.
Has Bradshaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bradshaw went from 42,465 recorded bearers to 40,813. That is a decrease of 1,652 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #818 to #828.
What does the Census say about the background of Bradshaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bradshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bradshaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.9% (30,579 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bradshaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.9%), Black (15.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bradshaw (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 Bradshaw mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "wide strip of woodland" in Old English. 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 Bradshaw (13.65 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 Bradshaw?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.