2000
#522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,297
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.24
Uncommon Last name
Briggs
An English occupational surname referring to a dweller near a bridge or a bridge builder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 63,884 Americans carry the last name Briggs. That puts it at #590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Briggs 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 Briggs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
64K
1 in 5,365
Census rank
#590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
56K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 55,710 bearers of the surname Briggs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Briggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Briggs
The surname Briggs has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "brycg," meaning "bridge." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a bridge or worked as a bridge-keeper.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th century. For example, the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273 mention a Robert de Brigg, while the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279 reference a Henry de la Brugge.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Briggs. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Brugge in Hertfordshire and Bruges in Norfolk.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Brigg, Brigge, and Brugge, reflecting regional dialects and the evolving nature of English orthography.
One notable individual bearing the surname Briggs was Henry Briggs (1561-1630), an English mathematician and professor at Oxford University. He is best known for his work on logarithms and his collaboration with John Napier, the inventor of logarithms.
Another prominent figure was Henry Briggs (1556-1630), a Yorkshire landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I. He played a role in the English Reformation and was a supporter of the Puritan movement.
In the literary realm, John Briggs (1785-1859) was an English writer and painter who authored works on historical and antiquarian subjects, including "The Massa Candida" and "Illustrations of the Ancient State and Chivalry of the Principality of Wales."
The American Revolution produced a notable figure in the form of John Briggs (1766-1846), a soldier and politician from Massachusetts. He served in the Continental Army and later became a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Finally, Richard Briggs (1819-1886) was an English-born Australian politician and businessman. He played a significant role in the development of the Victorian goldfields and served as a member of the Legislative Council of Victoria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Briggs
Among Census respondents with the surname Briggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Briggs 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 Briggs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 40,749
- Black or African American18.0% · 10,049
- Two or more races4.4% · 2,454
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,838
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 351
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 269
Timeline
Historical Census data for Briggs
Briggs 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
#572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,408
+1,111 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 19.80
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,710
-2,698 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 18.64
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #522 | 57,297 | 21.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #572 | 58,408 | 19.80 | +1,111 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #590 | 55,710 | 18.64 | -2,698 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 18 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 Briggs 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 | #572 | #590 | -3.1% |
| Count | 58,408 | 55,710 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 19.80 | 18.64 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Briggs bearers went from 58,408 to 55,710 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #572 to #590.
FAQ
Briggs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Briggs?
Name Census estimates that about 63,884 living Americans carry the surname Briggs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,365 residents.
How common is Briggs?
Briggs ranks #590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 55,710 people with the surname Briggs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (63,884), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Briggs.
Has Briggs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Briggs went from 58,408 recorded bearers to 55,710. That is a decrease of 2,698 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #572 to #590.
What does the Census say about the background of Briggs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Briggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Briggs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (40,749 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Briggs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Briggs (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 Briggs mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a dweller near a bridge or a bridge builder. 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 Briggs (18.64 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 Briggs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.