2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brickus
An English surname derived from the Middle English words "brik" and "hus," referring to someone living in a brick house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Brickus. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brickus 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Brickus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brickus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brickus
The surname Brickus is believed to have originated in the region of East Prussia, which is now part of modern-day Poland and Russia. It traces its roots back to the 16th century and is thought to be derived from the Old Prussian word "brikis," which means "brick maker" or "brick burner."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brickus can be found in a 1587 parish register from the town of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), where a certain Hans Brickus is listed as a resident. This suggests that the name was already established in the area by that time.
In the 17th century, the Brickus family appears to have spread throughout East Prussia, with records showing members of the family living in various towns and villages across the region. One notable individual from this period was Johann Brickus (1625-1697), a respected brickmaker and landowner in the town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn, Poland).
As the Brickus family continued to grow and expand, some members ventured further afield, with records indicating a presence in neighboring regions such as Lithuania and Latvia. A particularly prominent figure was Karl Brickus (1789-1867), a merchant and philanthropist from Riga, Latvia, who made a significant fortune in the Baltic trade and founded several charitable institutions in his hometown.
By the 19th century, the Brickus name had also made its way to other parts of Europe, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in countries like Germany and Russia. One example is Friedrich Brickus (1821-1892), a German-born architect who designed several notable buildings in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Another noteworthy individual from this period was Olga Brickus (1873-1945), a Russian-born painter and art teacher who studied under the renowned artist Ilya Repin. Her works were exhibited in several major galleries across Europe and Russia.
While the Brickus surname may have originated from a humble occupation, it has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions throughout history, leaving a lasting impact in various fields and regions across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brickus
Among Census respondents with the surname Brickus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brickus 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 Brickus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American79.8% · 87
- White11.0% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brickus
Brickus 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,793 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 21,793 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,702 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 Brickus 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 | #154,907 | #150,205 | 3.0% |
| Count | 105 | 109 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brickus bearers went from 105 to 109 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,205.
FAQ
Brickus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brickus?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Brickus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Brickus?
Brickus ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Brickus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Brickus.
Has Brickus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brickus went from 105 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Brickus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brickus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.8%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Hispanic (6.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brickus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brickus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (79.8%), White (11.0%), Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Brickus (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 Brickus mean?
An English surname derived from the Middle English words "brik" and "hus," referring to someone living in a brick house. 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 Brickus (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 common is the surname Brickus?
You can see how many people are called Brickus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.