2000
#11,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,427
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Bridgman
An occupational surname referring to a bridge construction worker or maintainer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,586 Americans carry the last name Bridgman. That puts it at #13,017 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,542 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bridgman 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 Bridgman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,542
Census rank
#13,017
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,255 bearers of the surname Bridgman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13017th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridgman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bridgman
The surname Bridgman originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "brycg" and "mann," meaning "bridge man" or someone who lived or worked near a bridge. The name is also associated with the village of Bridgham in Norfolk, England, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Bricgham."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a Robert Brigeman is mentioned. Another early reference is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1212, which mentions a William Brigeman.
During the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Briggeman, Brigman, and Brugman, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. One notable bearer of the name was John Bridgman (c. 1335-1399), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1382 and 1388.
In the 16th century, the Bridgman family became prominent in Berkshire and Gloucestershire. Sir Orlando Bridgeman (1609-1674) was a renowned lawyer and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal under Charles II. His son, Sir John Bridgeman (1631-1710), served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bridgman include Richard Whalley Bridgman (1784-1861), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Raymond Landon Bridgman (1884-1941), an American physicist known for his contributions to the theory of condensed matter.
In the 19th century, the Bridgman family established themselves in various parts of the United States. One prominent figure was Herbert L. Bridgman (1844-1924), a successful businessman and philanthropist who founded the Bridgman Library in Northampton, Massachusetts.
The name Bridgman has also been associated with several place names, such as Bridgman, Michigan, and Bridgman Downs in Queensland, Australia, reflecting the migration and settlement patterns of those bearing the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bridgman
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridgman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bridgman 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 Bridgman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 1,996
- Two or more races4.4% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 85
- Black or African American2.0% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bridgman
Bridgman 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
#12,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,498
+71 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 612 places
2020
#13,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,255
-243 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,823 | 2,427 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,435 | 2,498 | 0.85 | +71 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 612 places |
| 2020 | #13,017 | 2,255 | 0.75 | -243 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 582 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 Bridgman 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 | #12,435 | #13,017 | -4.7% |
| Count | 2,498 | 2,255 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.75 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bridgman bearers went from 2,498 to 2,255 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 582 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,435 to #13,017.
FAQ
Bridgman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bridgman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,586 living Americans carry the surname Bridgman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,542 residents.
How common is Bridgman?
Bridgman ranks #13,017 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,255 people with the surname Bridgman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,586), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Bridgman.
Has Bridgman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bridgman went from 2,498 recorded bearers to 2,255. That is a decrease of 243 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,435 to #13,017.
What does the Census say about the background of Bridgman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridgman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Bridgman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (1,996 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bridgman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Bridgman (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 Bridgman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a bridge construction worker or maintainer. 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 Bridgman (0.75 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 share the surname Bridgman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.