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

Bridgewater, 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 Bridgewater surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bridgewater in America

Bridgewater is the 8532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bridgewater surname appeared 3,857 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bridgewater.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater

The surname Bridgewater originated in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "brycg" (bridge) and "wæter" (water), indicating that the name likely referred to an individual who lived near a bridge over a body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Richard de Bridgewater from Somerset. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by the late 13th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Bridgewater name was closely associated with the town of Bridgwater in Somerset. In fact, some historians believe that the town's name may have influenced the spelling of the surname over time.

The Bridgewater surname is also mentioned in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholders and their estates in England after the Norman Conquest. This reference suggests that the name had its origins even earlier, likely in the 11th century.

Notable individuals bearing the Bridgewater surname throughout history include:

1. Sir Thomas Bridgewater (c. 1490-1558), an English merchant and member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. John Bridgewater (1598-1668), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Oxford.
3. Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (1736-1803), a prominent English nobleman and canal pioneer who oversaw the construction of the Bridgewater Canal.
4. William Bridgewater (1779-1835), an English canal engineer and surveyor who worked on several important canal projects in the early 19th century.
5. George Bridgewater (1815-1881), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent and was known for his powerful batting.

The Bridgewater name has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Bridgewater in Somerset, Bridgwater Bay, and the Bridgewater Canal in Manchester.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bridgewater

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

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

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

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