2000
#8,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Brigman
An English occupational surname for a builder or repairer of bridges, derived from the Old English "brycgmann."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,558 Americans carry the last name Brigman. That puts it at #9,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,333 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brigman 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.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,333
Census rank
#9,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,103 bearers of the surname Brigman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brigman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brigman
The surname Brigman is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "brycg" and "mann," which together mean "bridge man" or someone who lived near or was responsible for maintaining a bridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brigman can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a person named Robert Brigman is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in England by that time.
The Brigman surname is also found in various historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, which lists a John Brigman, and the Feet of Fines for Staffordshire in 1479, where a William Brigman is mentioned.
In the 16th century, the Brigman surname appears in the Chancery Proceedings of 1558, where a Richard Brigman is recorded. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of England by that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Brigman was Roger Brigman, who was born around 1350 in Oxfordshire. Another notable figure was John Brigman, who lived in the late 15th century and was a wool merchant in Coventry.
During the 17th century, the name Brigman can be found in various parish records across England. For example, in 1623, a Thomas Brigman was recorded in the parish registers of St. Michael's Church in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
In the 18th century, the Brigman surname was associated with several prominent individuals. One such person was William Brigman (1692-1767), who was a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker in London. Another notable figure was John Brigman (1720-1789), a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire.
In the 19th century, the name Brigman continued to be found in various parts of England. One notable person was Robert Brigman (1825-1901), a respected architect who designed several buildings in London.
Throughout its history, the Brigman surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Brigmans Ditch in Hertfordshire and Brigman's Farm in Wiltshire, suggesting that the name was once linked to specific locations or properties.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brigman
Among Census respondents with the surname Brigman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Brigman 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 Brigman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 2,486
- Black or African American7.9% · 245
- Two or more races4.5% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brigman
Brigman 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
#8,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,679
+251 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#9,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,103
-576 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 1,035 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,801 | 3,428 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,900 | 3,679 | 1.25 | +251 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #9,935 | 3,103 | 1.04 | -576 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 1,035 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 Brigman 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 | #8,900 | #9,935 | -11.6% |
| Count | 3,679 | 3,103 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.04 | -16.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brigman bearers went from 3,679 to 3,103 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 1,035 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,900 to #9,935.
FAQ
Brigman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brigman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,558 living Americans carry the surname Brigman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,333 residents.
How common is Brigman?
Brigman ranks #9,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,103 people with the surname Brigman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Brigman.
Has Brigman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brigman went from 3,679 recorded bearers to 3,103. That is a decrease of 576 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,900 to #9,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Brigman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brigman, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Brigman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (2,486 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brigman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Brigman (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 Brigman mean?
An English occupational surname for a builder or repairer of bridges, derived from the Old English "brycgmann." 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 Brigman (1.04 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 Americans have the surname Brigman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.