2000
#579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,260
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.37
Uncommon Last name
Bridges
An occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or maintained bridges.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 58,925 Americans carry the last name Bridges. That puts it at #643 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bridges 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 Bridges with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
59K
1 in 5,817
Census rank
#643
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
51K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 51,385 bearers of the surname Bridges in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 643rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridges, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bridges
The surname BRIDGES has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the medieval period as an occupational name for someone who built or maintained bridges. It derives from the Old English word "brycg," meaning a bridge.
In the early days, the name appeared in various spellings such as Brugge, Brigge, and Brygge. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulfus ad Brugges in Somerset.
As an occupational surname, BRIDGES would have initially referred to individuals who were employed in the construction or maintenance of bridges, a vital role in facilitating transportation and trade in medieval times. Over time, it became a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
In the 13th century, records show a William Brugge in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230. Another early bearer of the name was John atte Brugge, mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1292.
The surname BRIDGES is also associated with various place names across England, such as Bridgetown in Somerset, Bridgewater in Somerset, and Bridgford in Nottinghamshire. These locations likely influenced the adoption of the surname by individuals residing in or near those areas.
Notable historical figures with the surname BRIDGES include:
1. John Bridges (1536-1618), an English author and historian who wrote the "History of Northamptonshire."
2. William Bridges (1608-1670), an English colonial leader and co-founder of the town of Taunton, Massachusetts.
3. Robert Bridges (1844-1930), an English poet and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1913 to 1930.
4. Nathaniel Bridges (1675-1720), an English naval officer and one of the first Europeans to explore the Kuril Islands.
5. Harry Bridges (1901-1990), an Australian-born American labor leader and long-time head of the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union.
The surname BRIDGES has a rich history dating back to medieval England, where it originated as an occupational name associated with the construction and maintenance of bridges. Over the centuries, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including authors, colonial leaders, poets, naval officers, and labor activists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bridges
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridges, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bridges 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 Bridges surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 33,234
- Black or African American26.4% · 13,571
- Two or more races4.6% · 2,363
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,623
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 299
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 295
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bridges
Bridges 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
#635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,682
+1,422 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 18.20
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,385
-2,297 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 17.19
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #579 | 52,260 | 19.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #635 | 53,682 | 18.20 | +1,422 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #643 | 51,385 | 17.19 | -2,297 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 8 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 Bridges 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 | #635 | #643 | -1.3% |
| Count | 53,682 | 51,385 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 18.20 | 17.19 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bridges bearers went from 53,682 to 51,385 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #635 to #643.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bridges
FAQ
Bridges surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bridges?
Name Census estimates that about 58,925 living Americans carry the surname Bridges. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,817 residents.
How common is Bridges?
Bridges ranks #643 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 51,385 people with the surname Bridges. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (58,925), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Bridges.
Has Bridges become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bridges went from 53,682 recorded bearers to 51,385. That is a decrease of 2,297 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #635 to #643.
What does the Census say about the background of Bridges?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridges, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Bridges in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (33,234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bridges appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.7%), Black (26.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Bridges (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 Bridges mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or maintained bridges. 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 Bridges (17.19 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 people have the surname Bridges?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.