2000
#12,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,179
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Brimmer
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold brimming measures or vessels, such as bowls or cups.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,331 Americans carry the last name Brimmer. That puts it at #14,176 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brimmer 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 Brimmer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 147,042
Census rank
#14,176
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,033 bearers of the surname Brimmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14176th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brimmer
The surname Brimmer is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "brymmere," which means "someone who lives near a brook or stream." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived near a watercourse or in a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brimmer surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document mentions a landowner named Brimmer residing in the county of Gloucestershire.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Brymmer, Brymere, and Brymour, reflecting the inconsistencies in written records and regional dialects of the time. One notable individual from this era was Robert Brimmer, a merchant from the city of Bristol, who was mentioned in local trade records in 1275.
In the 14th century, the Brimmer surname began to spread beyond its original region, with individuals bearing this name appearing in various parts of England. One such example is John Brimmer, a farmer from the village of Brimmer near Maidenhead, Berkshire, whose name was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Brimmer surname continued to flourish, and several notable individuals emerged. One such person was Sir William Brimmer (1535-1609), a wealthy landowner and member of the English gentry from Oxfordshire. Another prominent figure was Richard Brimmer (1610-1672), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, in the American colonies.
In the 18th century, the Brimmer name gained further recognition with the birth of Andrew Brimmer (1735-1805), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. Another noteworthy individual from this era was Elizabeth Brimmer (1776-1847), a philanthropist and benefactor of educational institutions in the United States.
As the centuries passed, the Brimmer surname continued to spread across England and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, including politics, academia, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brimmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brimmer 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 Brimmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.2% · 1,406
- Black or African American20.5% · 416
- Two or more races5.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brimmer
Brimmer 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
#13,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,212
+33 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 761 places
2020
#14,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,033
-179 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 486 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,929 | 2,179 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,690 | 2,212 | 0.75 | +33 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 761 places |
| 2020 | #14,176 | 2,033 | 0.68 | -179 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 486 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 Brimmer 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 | #13,690 | #14,176 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,212 | 2,033 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.68 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brimmer bearers went from 2,212 to 2,033 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 486 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,690 to #14,176.
FAQ
Brimmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brimmer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,331 living Americans carry the surname Brimmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,042 residents.
How common is Brimmer?
Brimmer ranks #14,176 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,033 people with the surname Brimmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,331), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Brimmer.
Has Brimmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brimmer went from 2,212 recorded bearers to 2,033. That is a decrease of 179 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,690 to #14,176.
What does the Census say about the background of Brimmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) 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 Brimmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (1,406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brimmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.2%), Black (20.5%), 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 Brimmer (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 Brimmer mean?
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold brimming measures or vessels, such as bowls or cups. 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 Brimmer (0.68 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 share the surname Brimmer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.