2000
#16,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,633
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Brimhall
One meaning given for this surname is a reference to one who lived near a hill top or steep slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,370 Americans carry the last name Brimhall. That puts it at #13,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brimhall 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
2.4K
1 in 144,622
Census rank
#13,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,067 bearers of the surname Brimhall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimhall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brimhall
The surname Brimhall is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, deriving from a place called Bremhall or Brymhall, which was likely a small village or hamlet situated somewhere in the counties of Staffordshire or Shropshire.
The name Brimhall is thought to be derived from the Old English words "brem" meaning "broom" and "halh" meaning "a nook or corner of land." This suggests that the original place name may have referred to a piece of land or a dwelling situated in a secluded area where broom plants grew abundantly.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brimhall can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1195, where a person named William de Bremhall is mentioned. This record provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as Brymhale, Brymhall, and Brimhall, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time. One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Brimhall, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century.
Another prominent figure in the history of the Brimhall surname was Thomas Brimhall, born in 1542, who was a wealthy landowner and a prominent member of the gentry in Shropshire. His descendants continued to hold positions of influence in the county for several generations.
In the 17th century, the Brimhall family established themselves in the county of Gloucestershire, where they owned estates and played a significant role in local affairs. One notable member of this branch was Sir Edward Brimhall (1619-1698), a successful merchant and philanthropist who served as the Lord Mayor of London.
Over the centuries, the Brimhall surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, lawyers, artists, and military officers. Notable bearers include Reverend William Brimhall (1721-1802), a renowned Church of England clergyman; John Brimhall (1789-1865), a celebrated landscape painter; and Colonel Henry Brimhall (1832-1912), who served with distinction in the British Army during the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brimhall
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimhall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brimhall 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 Brimhall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,898
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 93
- Two or more races2.6% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brimhall
Brimhall 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
#15,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,919
+286 bearers (+17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 964 places
2020
#13,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,067
+148 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 1,329 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,260 | 1,633 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,296 | 1,919 | 0.65 | +286 bearers (+17.5%) | Up 964 places |
| 2020 | #13,967 | 2,067 | 0.69 | +148 bearers (+7.7%) | Up 1,329 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 Brimhall 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 | #15,296 | #13,967 | 8.7% |
| Count | 1,919 | 2,067 | 7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.69 | 6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brimhall bearers went from 1,919 to 2,067 (+7.7% change). The surname moved up 1,329 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,296 to #13,967.
FAQ
Brimhall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brimhall?
Name Census estimates that about 2,370 living Americans carry the surname Brimhall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,622 residents.
How common is Brimhall?
Brimhall ranks #13,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,067 people with the surname Brimhall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,370), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Brimhall.
Has Brimhall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brimhall went from 1,919 recorded bearers to 2,067. That is an increase of 148 (+7.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,296 to #13,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Brimhall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimhall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Brimhall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,898 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brimhall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Brimhall (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 Brimhall mean?
One meaning given for this surname is a reference to one who lived near a hill top or steep 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 Brimhall (0.69 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 last name Brimhall?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Brimhall, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.