2000
#13,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Brindle
A surname referring to a person with a dark complexion or streaked or spotted hair or skin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,487 Americans carry the last name Brindle. That puts it at #13,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brindle 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 Brindle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,818
Census rank
#13,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,169 bearers of the surname Brindle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brindle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brindle
The surname Brindle originated in England, deriving from the Old English word "brin" meaning brown or dusky, and "dell" meaning a valley or hollow. It likely referred to someone who lived in a brown-colored valley or a valley with a dusky appearance.
The name Brindle can be traced back to the 13th century in Lancashire, England, where it was first recorded as a place name. The earliest known record of the surname Brindle is found in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246, where a Robert de Brindill was mentioned.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the area now known as Brindle is referred to as "Burnhull," which may have been an early variation of the name. This suggests that the name's origins date back to at least the 11th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John de Bryndyll, who was listed in the Wills at Chester in 1392. Another early record is of Richard de Bryndyll, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Fines in 1395.
Notable individuals with the surname Brindle throughout history include William Brindle (1604-1665), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Thomas Brindle (1621-1661) was an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Charles II.
In the 18th century, John Brindle (1733-1805) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of lunar theory. James Brindle (1774-1858) was a British artist known for his landscape paintings and portraits.
Moving into the 19th century, John Brindle (1819-1875) was a prominent English engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam engines and railway locomotives.
These examples illustrate the long history and varied accomplishments of individuals bearing the surname Brindle, originating from the brown-colored valleys of Lancashire, England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brindle
Among Census respondents with the surname Brindle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Brindle 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 Brindle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 1,958
- Two or more races3.9% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 72
- Black or African American1.0% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brindle
Brindle 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
#13,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,351
+214 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 62 places
2020
#13,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,169
-182 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 364 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,119 | 2,137 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,057 | 2,351 | 0.80 | +214 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 62 places |
| 2020 | #13,421 | 2,169 | 0.73 | -182 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 364 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 Brindle 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 | #13,057 | #13,421 | -2.8% |
| Count | 2,351 | 2,169 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.73 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brindle bearers went from 2,351 to 2,169 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 364 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,057 to #13,421.
FAQ
Brindle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brindle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,487 living Americans carry the surname Brindle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,818 residents.
How common is Brindle?
Brindle ranks #13,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,169 people with the surname Brindle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,487), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Brindle.
Has Brindle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brindle went from 2,351 recorded bearers to 2,169. That is a decrease of 182 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,057 to #13,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Brindle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brindle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Brindle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (1,958 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brindle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Brindle (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 Brindle mean?
A surname referring to a person with a dark complexion or streaked or spotted hair or skin. 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 Brindle (0.73 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 Brindle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.