2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bredlow
A German surname derived from the words "breit" meaning broad and "low" referring to either a place name or topographical feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Bredlow. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bredlow 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Bredlow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bredlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bredlow
The surname BREDLOW is a locational surname that originated in Germany. It is derived from the Low German word "brad," meaning "broad" or "wide," and the suffix "-low," which refers to a wooded area or a clearing in a forest.
The name BREDLOW likely emerged in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th or 13th century, in northern Germany, where Low German dialects were spoken. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents and records from this region.
One notable historical reference to the name BREDLOW is in the Prussian Land Registry of 1685, where several families with this surname were listed as landowners in the Brandenburg-Prussian region. This suggests that the name had already been well-established in the area by that time.
The town of Bredlow, located in the state of Brandenburg, Germany, is likely the place of origin for the surname. The name of the town itself can be traced back to the 13th century and is derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname BREDLOW was Johann Bredlow, a German farmer born in 1624 in the village of Bredlow. Another notable figure was Christoph Bredlow, a Protestant minister who lived from 1665 to 1737 and served in the town of Bredlow.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the BREDLOW surname was Gustav Bredlow (1813-1887), a German historian and author who wrote extensively about the history of Prussia and the Brandenburg region.
Other notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Ernst Bredlow (1866-1942), a German jurist and legal scholar.
2. Wilhelm Bredlow (1890-1966), a German artist and illustrator known for his book illustrations.
3. Helga Bredlow (born 1932), a German swimmer and Olympic medalist.
4. Günther Bredlow (1921-2001), a German politician and member of the Bundestag.
5. Erich Bredlow (1896-1968), a German army officer who served in both World Wars.
While the BREDLOW surname is relatively uncommon outside of Germany, it has a rich historical legacy deeply rooted in the northern regions of the country, particularly in the state of Brandenburg and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bredlow
Among Census respondents with the surname Bredlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bredlow 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 Bredlow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bredlow
Bredlow 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-3 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,321 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-13 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 10,321 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 13,649 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 Bredlow 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 | #131,379 | #145,028 | -10.4% |
| Count | 129 | 116 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bredlow bearers went from 129 to 116 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 13,649 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #145,028.
FAQ
Bredlow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bredlow?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Bredlow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Bredlow?
Bredlow ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Bredlow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Bredlow.
Has Bredlow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bredlow went from 129 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Bredlow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bredlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bredlow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bredlow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bredlow (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 Bredlow mean?
A German surname derived from the words "breit" meaning broad and "low" referring to either a place name or topographical feature. 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 Bredlow (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 have the last name Bredlow?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Bredlow at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.