2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Breidigan
A surname derived from an Old Irish Gaelic personal name meaning "one who prospers or is prosperous".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Breidigan. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breidigan 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Breidigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breidigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breidigan
The surname BREIDIGAN originated in the region of Southwestern Germany, specifically in the area around the Rhine River valley. It first appeared in historical records during the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "breit" meaning "wide" and "igan" meaning "meadow" or "field". Thus, BREIDIGAN likely referred to someone who lived near or owned a wide meadow or field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BREIDIGAN surname dates back to 1275, when a man named Johannes Breidigan was mentioned in a land deed from the town of Mainz. In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Breidighan, Breydigan, and Breidigen in church records and tax rolls from the Palatinate region.
The BREIDIGAN surname gained prominence in the 16th century, when a notable family bearing the name owned a substantial estate near the town of Worms. In 1567, a member of this family, Heinrich Breidigan (1523-1597), was appointed as a magistrate in the city's governing council.
Another historically significant figure with the BREIDIGAN surname was Anna Breidigan (1621-1689), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from the village of Neustadt. She endowed a substantial sum of money to establish a school and orphanage in her hometown, which remained operational until the late 19th century.
In the 18th century, the BREIDIGAN name spread to other parts of German-speaking Europe. Notable bearers of the surname during this period include Johann Breidigan (1712-1784), a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, and Wilhelm Breidigan (1755-1823), a respected philosopher and professor at the University of Heidelberg.
Furthermore, historical records from the early 19th century mention a family of BREIDIGANs who were prominent wine merchants in the Rheingau region, known for their vineyards and wineries along the banks of the Rhine River.
While the BREIDIGAN surname is not among the most common German surnames, it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries and has produced notable individuals across various fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breidigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Breidigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Breidigan 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 Breidigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breidigan
Breidigan 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,865 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+16 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 15,865 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 15,442 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 Breidigan 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 | #159,712 | #144,270 | 9.7% |
| Count | 101 | 117 | 15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breidigan bearers went from 101 to 117 (+15.8% change). The surname moved up 15,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #144,270.
FAQ
Breidigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breidigan?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Breidigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Breidigan?
Breidigan ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Breidigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Breidigan.
Has Breidigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breidigan went from 101 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 16 (+15.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Breidigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breidigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Breidigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breidigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Breidigan (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 Breidigan mean?
A surname derived from an Old Irish Gaelic personal name meaning "one who prospers or is prosperous". 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 Breidigan (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 Breidigan?
See how common the surname Breidigan is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.