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

Bridge, 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 Bridge surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bridge in America

Bridge is the 5827th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bridge surname appeared 5,933 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bridge.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bridge 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 Bridge

The surname BRIDGE is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "brycg," meaning a raised path across a river or valley. It likely originated as a topographical name, referring to someone who lived near a bridge or worked as a bridge keeper or toll collector.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname BRIDGE dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brige" in Worcestershire. This suggests the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records as "Atte Brigge" and "Attebrugge," reflecting the common practice of using the preposition "atte" (at the) before a place name or topographical feature.

During the Middle Ages, the name was also associated with the village of Bridge in Kent, known as "Brige" in the Domesday Book. This may have contributed to the surname's prevalence in that region.

Notable individuals with the surname BRIDGE include Sir John Bridge (c. 1500-1585), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was William Bridge (1600-1670), a Puritan minister and member of the Westminster Assembly.

In the 18th century, Reverend William Bridge (1694-1768) was a notable English clergyman and author, known for his work "A Vindication of the Worship of the Church of England." Thomas Bridge (1710-1789), an English carpenter and architect, was responsible for the design of several churches and public buildings in the town of Waltham Abbey.

In the 19th century, Sir Frederick Bridge (1844-1924) was a renowned English organist and composer who served as the organist at Westminster Abbey for over 30 years. He was widely respected for his contributions to English church music.

These examples demonstrate the long-standing presence and prominence of the surname BRIDGE throughout English history, with its roots dating back to the Norman Conquest and its association with various occupations, locations, and notable individuals over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bridge

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

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 Bridge 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 Bridge 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 Bridge was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!