2000
#12,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,307
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Brindley
From the Old English words for "burnt" and "wood clearing," likely referring to a person living near a clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,616 Americans carry the last name Brindley. That puts it at #12,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brindley 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 Brindley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,022
Census rank
#12,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,281 bearers of the surname Brindley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brindley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brindley
The surname Brindley is believed to be of English origin, originating from the Old English words "brin" meaning burnt, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a burnt or charred clearing in the woods.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing as "de Brindeley" in the Feet of Fines for the county of Staffordshire in 1272. This suggests that the name may have been derived from a place name, possibly referring to the village of Brindle in Lancashire.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England, there are no direct mentions of the surname Brindley. However, variations of the name, such as "Brindewood" and "Brindehurst," can be found, indicating that the name was present in some form during the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Brindley was William Brindley, born in 1480 in Leek, Staffordshire. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in several historical records from the late 15th century.
James Brindley (1716-1772) was a notable English engineer, often referred to as the "Father of English Inland Navigation." He designed and constructed several canals, including the Bridgewater Canal, which revolutionized the transportation of goods in the Industrial Revolution.
John Brindley (1804-1875) was an English architect and surveyor. He designed many churches and public buildings in the Midlands region, including the Leek Town Hall and the Church of St. Edward in Leek.
Charlotte Brindley (1833-1911) was a prominent English philanthropist and social reformer. She founded the North Staffordshire Infirmary and played a significant role in improving healthcare and education in the region.
Francis Brindley (1863-1934) was an English cricketer who played for Staffordshire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. He was a right-handed batsman and a skilled wicket-keeper.
The surname Brindley has also been associated with various place names, such as Brindley Ford in Cheshire, Brindley Heath in Staffordshire, and Brindley Village in Worcestershire, further solidifying its English roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brindley
Among Census respondents with the surname Brindley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Brindley 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 Brindley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,143
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 59
- Two or more races2.5% · 57
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brindley
Brindley 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
#12,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,511
+204 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#12,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,281
-230 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,352 | 2,307 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,389 | 2,511 | 0.85 | +204 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #12,890 | 2,281 | 0.76 | -230 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 501 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 Brindley 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 | #12,389 | #12,890 | -4.0% |
| Count | 2,511 | 2,281 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.76 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brindley bearers went from 2,511 to 2,281 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 501 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,389 to #12,890.
FAQ
Brindley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brindley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,616 living Americans carry the surname Brindley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,022 residents.
How common is Brindley?
Brindley ranks #12,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,281 people with the surname Brindley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Brindley.
Has Brindley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brindley went from 2,511 recorded bearers to 2,281. That is a decrease of 230 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,389 to #12,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Brindley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brindley, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Brindley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,143 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brindley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Brindley (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 Brindley mean?
From the Old English words for "burnt" and "wood clearing," likely referring to a person living near a clearing. 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 Brindley (0.76 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 common is the surname Brindley?
If you just want to know how many people are called Brindley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.