2000
#13,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Brickley
An English occupational surname referring to a brickmaker or bricklayer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,061 Americans carry the last name Brickley. That puts it at #15,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brickley 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 Brickley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,305
Census rank
#15,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,797 bearers of the surname Brickley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brickley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brickley
The surname Brickley originates from England and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "brice" meaning brick, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a brickyard or brick-making area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brickley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1195, where it was spelled as "Briccheleia". This suggests that the name was already established in the region at that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Brickeleia", "Brikelee", and "Brikeley" in various county records and manorial rolls across England. These variations in spelling were common during that period.
The Brickley surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Brickley in Hampshire and Brickleigh in Devon. These locations may have been named after early bearers of the surname or vice versa.
Notable historical figures with the surname Brickley include:
1. Sir John Brickley (c. 1490-1558), an English politician and member of Parliament for Hampshire during the reign of Queen Mary I.
2. William Brickley (1587-1649), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Rector of St. Michael's in Coventry.
3. Richard Brickley (1619-1683), an English merchant and landowner who served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1677.
4. Elizabeth Brickley (c. 1650-1718), an English painter known for her still-life paintings and portraits.
5. Thomas Brickley (1789-1857), a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a colonial administrator in Canada.
While the name Brickley is not as common as some other English surnames, it has persisted throughout the centuries and can be found in various historical records, reflecting its long-standing presence in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brickley
Among Census respondents with the surname Brickley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brickley 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 Brickley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 1,555
- Black or African American6.1% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 61
- Two or more races2.7% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brickley
Brickley 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
#14,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,139
+149 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#15,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
-342 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,581 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,912 | 1,990 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,067 | 2,139 | 0.73 | +149 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #15,648 | 1,797 | 0.60 | -342 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 1,581 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 Brickley 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 | #14,067 | #15,648 | -11.2% |
| Count | 2,139 | 1,797 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.60 | -17.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brickley bearers went from 2,139 to 1,797 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 1,581 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,067 to #15,648.
FAQ
Brickley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brickley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,061 living Americans carry the surname Brickley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,305 residents.
How common is Brickley?
Brickley ranks #15,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,797 people with the surname Brickley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Brickley.
Has Brickley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brickley went from 2,139 recorded bearers to 1,797. That is a decrease of 342 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,067 to #15,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Brickley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brickley, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (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 Brickley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (1,555 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brickley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (6.1%), Hispanic (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 Brickley (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 Brickley mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a brickmaker or bricklayer. 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 Brickley (0.60 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 Brickley?
You can see how many people have the last name Brickley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.