2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bretherton
A locational surname derived from a place in Lancashire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 167 Americans carry the last name Bretherton. That puts it at #123,817 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,052,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bretherton 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 Bretherton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
167
1 in 2,052,421
Census rank
#123,817
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
146
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 146 bearers of the surname Bretherton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 123817th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bretherton
The surname Bretherton originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Bretherton in Lancashire, which itself is composed of the Old English words "brether" meaning "brother" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement". This suggests the name may have originated as a description of a place where monks or brothers lived.
One of the earliest known records of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1176, where it is spelled "Brederton". Over time, various spelling variations emerged, including Bretherton,Brederton, Brotherton, and others. The name is also closely related to the place name Brotherton in Yorkshire, which shares a similar etymology.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the area now known as Bretherton is referred to as "Bredretun". This early record provides evidence of the name's long history and its connection to the local geography.
Notable individuals with the surname Bretherton throughout history include:
1. Thomas Bretherton (c. 1570 - c. 1640), an English Catholic priest and controversialist.
2. John Bretherton (1770 - 1851), an English Catholic priest and missionary who worked in Australia.
3. Humphrey Bretherton (1572 - 1609), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of James I.
4. William Bretherton (1687 - 1768), an English Catholic priest and mathematician.
5. John Bretherton (1925 - 2008), a British writer and dramatist best known for his plays and screenplays.
While the surname Bretherton is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history rooted in the geography and language of medieval England. The name's enduring presence over centuries is a testament to its significance in the local communities where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bretherton
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bretherton 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 Bretherton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 133
- Two or more races5.5% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bretherton
Bretherton 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-21 bearers (-15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,289 places
2020
#123,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+35 bearers (+31.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 24,530 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 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.9%) | Down 27,289 places |
| 2020 | #123,817 | 146 | 0.05 | +35 bearers (+31.5%) | Up 24,530 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 Bretherton 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 | #148,347 | #123,817 | 16.5% |
| Count | 111 | 146 | 31.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 22.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bretherton bearers went from 111 to 146 (+31.5% change). The surname moved up 24,530 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #123,817.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bretherton
FAQ
Bretherton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bretherton?
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the surname Bretherton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,052,421 residents.
How common is Bretherton?
Bretherton ranks #123,817 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 146 people with the surname Bretherton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Bretherton.
Has Bretherton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bretherton went from 111 recorded bearers to 146. That is an increase of 35 (+31.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #123,817.
What does the Census say about the background of Bretherton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Bretherton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bretherton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Bretherton (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 Bretherton mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Lancashire, England. 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 Bretherton (0.05 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 Bretherton?
You can see how many people have the last name Bretherton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.