2000
#1,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,554
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.88
Uncommon Last name
Brewster
An occupational surname referring to a brewer of beer or ale.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,622 Americans carry the last name Brewster. That puts it at #1,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brewster 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 Brewster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,852
Census rank
#1,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,855 bearers of the surname Brewster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brewster, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brewster
Among Census respondents with the surname Brewster, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brewster 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 Brewster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.8% · 12,981
- Black or African American20.4% · 3,848
- Two or more races4.8% · 897
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 884
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 119
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brewster
Brewster 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
#1,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,564
+1,010 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 6.63
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#1,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,855
-709 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 6.31
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,770 | 18,554 | 6.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,830 | 19,564 | 6.63 | +1,010 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #1,867 | 18,855 | 6.31 | -709 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 37 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 Brewster 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 | #1,830 | #1,867 | -2.0% |
| Count | 19,564 | 18,855 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.63 | 6.31 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brewster bearers went from 19,564 to 18,855 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,830 to #1,867.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brewster
FAQ
Brewster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brewster?
Name Census estimates that about 21,622 living Americans carry the surname Brewster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,852 residents.
How common is Brewster?
Brewster ranks #1,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,855 people with the surname Brewster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,622), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Brewster.
Has Brewster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brewster went from 19,564 recorded bearers to 18,855. That is a decrease of 709 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,830 to #1,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Brewster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brewster, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Brewster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (12,981 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brewster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.8%), Black (20.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Brewster (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 Brewster mean?
An occupational surname referring to a brewer of beer or ale. 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 Brewster (6.31 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 Americans have the surname Brewster?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.