2000
#7,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Brim
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near the brim or edge of a hill or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,012 Americans carry the last name Brim. That puts it at #8,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,432 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brim 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
4.0K
1 in 85,432
Census rank
#8,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,499 bearers of the surname Brim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brim, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brim
The surname BRIM has its origins in England, emerging in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "brim," meaning the edge or brink of something, often referring to a riverbank or shoreline.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Brim is mentioned. This suggests the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Brym, Brymme, and Brymmer, indicating regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. These variations likely stemmed from the different dialects spoken across England at the time.
The surname BRIM may have also been associated with certain place names containing the word "brim," such as Brimpton in Berkshire or Brimley in Surrey. It is possible that some individuals took on the surname based on their association with these locations.
One notable figure bearing the BRIM surname was Sir John Brim, a Member of Parliament for Norfolk in the late 15th century, who served during the reign of Edward IV.
During the 16th century, the BRIM surname gained further recognition with the birth of Richard Brim (c. 1515 – c. 1588), an English churchman and academic who served as the President of Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1585 until his death.
In the 17th century, John Brim (1617 – 1690) was a prominent English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "The Mercies of a Covenant God."
Moving into the 18th century, William Brim (1713 – 1787) was a notable English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Another individual of note was Sir Walter Brim (1792 – 1868), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as a Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire.
Throughout its history, the surname BRIM has maintained a presence in England, with various individuals bearing this name making contributions across various fields, from politics and academia to architecture and the military.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brim
Among Census respondents with the surname Brim, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brim 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 Brim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.3% · 1,971
- Black or African American34.3% · 1,199
- Two or more races5.2% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brim
Brim 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
#8,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,717
-343 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 1,252 places
2020
#8,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,499
-218 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,556 | 4,060 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,808 | 3,717 | 1.26 | -343 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 1,252 places |
| 2020 | #8,976 | 3,499 | 1.17 | -218 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 168 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 Brim 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 | #8,808 | #8,976 | -1.9% |
| Count | 3,717 | 3,499 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.17 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brim bearers went from 3,717 to 3,499 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,808 to #8,976.
FAQ
Brim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brim?
Name Census estimates that about 4,012 living Americans carry the surname Brim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,432 residents.
How common is Brim?
Brim ranks #8,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,499 people with the surname Brim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,012), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Brim.
Has Brim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brim went from 3,717 recorded bearers to 3,499. That is a decrease of 218 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,808 to #8,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Brim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brim, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Brim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (1,971 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.3%), Black (34.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Brim (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 Brim mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near the brim or edge of a hill or stream. 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 Brim (1.17 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 Brim?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.