2000
#3,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.36
Rare Last name
Brill
A topographic surname referring to someone living on or near a hill or slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,635 Americans carry the last name Brill. That puts it at #4,095 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,574 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brill 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 Brill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,574
Census rank
#4,095
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,402 bearers of the surname Brill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4095th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brill, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brill
The surname Brill is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'brill' or 'brylle,' which referred to a small stream or brook. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, when it was often spelled as 'Brille' or 'Bryl.'
During the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, many place names were influenced by the Norman French language. It is possible that the name Brill may have originated from a Norman-influenced place name, such as Brill in Buckinghamshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Bruhella.'
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Brill was William de Brille, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1194. Other early records include Walter de Brill, documented in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.
Over the centuries, the Brill surname has been associated with several notable individuals. Sir Matthew Brill (1572-1629) was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I. Another prominent figure was Richard Brill (1619-1699), an English clergyman and author of several theological works.
In the 18th century, John Brill (1734-1794) was a renowned English musician and composer, known for his contributions to the development of the violin concerto. A century later, Reginald Brill (1858-1942) was a distinguished English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Croydon Town Hall.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Brill surname in America was that of John Brill, who arrived in Pennsylvania from England in 1683. Another early American bearer of the name was Benjamin Brill (1725-1809), a Revolutionary War soldier and farmer from New Jersey.
Throughout its history, the surname Brill has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of its bearers. Whether derived from a geographical location or an Old English word, the name Brill has left an indelible mark on the annals of history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brill
Among Census respondents with the surname Brill, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brill 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 Brill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 7,527
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 364
- Two or more races3.4% · 283
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 105
- Black or African American0.8% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brill
Brill 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
#3,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,215
+146 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#4,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,402
-813 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,598 | 9,069 | 3.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,841 | 9,215 | 3.12 | +146 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #4,095 | 8,402 | 2.81 | -813 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 254 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 Brill 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 | #3,841 | #4,095 | -6.6% |
| Count | 9,215 | 8,402 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.12 | 2.81 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brill bearers went from 9,215 to 8,402 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 254 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,841 to #4,095.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brill
FAQ
Brill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brill?
Name Census estimates that about 9,635 living Americans carry the surname Brill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,574 residents.
How common is Brill?
Brill ranks #4,095 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,402 people with the surname Brill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,635), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Brill.
Has Brill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brill went from 9,215 recorded bearers to 8,402. That is a decrease of 813 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,841 to #4,095.
What does the Census say about the background of Brill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brill, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Brill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (7,527 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Brill (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 Brill mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living on or near a hill or slope. 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 Brill (2.81 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 are called Brill?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Brill is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.