Find out how popular the last name Brewster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brewster.

Brewster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brewster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brewster in America

Brewster is the 1830th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brewster surname appeared 19,564 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Brewster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brewster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brewster

The surname Brewster originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "brēowan" meaning "to brew" and "hūs" meaning "house". It initially referred to someone who brewed ale or beer, often working at an inn or public house. The name was localized in various parts of England, including Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brewster appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Breviator" and "Breu(u)ator". The name is also found in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where it is spelled "Breuuestre".

In the 13th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Sir John Brewster, a knight from Nottinghamshire who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III. In the 14th century, William Brewster of Scrooby, Nottinghamshire (c. 1567-1644), was a influential figure in the English Separatist movement and later became a leader of the Pilgrims who sailed to the New World on the Mayflower in 1620.

Another notable Brewster was Sir David Brewster (1781-1868), a Scottish physicist, mathematician, and inventor, best known for his contributions to the field of optics and the invention of the kaleidoscope. He was also a respected writer and served as the Principal of the University of St. Andrews.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brewster was Benjamin Brewster (1593-1683), a colonial settler who arrived in Massachusetts in 1632 and became a prominent figure in the early history of the colony.

The surname Brewster has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Brewster's Hill in Nottinghamshire and Brewster's Farm in Suffolk. Additionally, the name has been spelled in various ways over the centuries, including Bruster, Bruwster, and Breuester.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brewster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brewster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brewster was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brewster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brewster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brewster, please contact us.

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