Find out how popular the last name Brink is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brink.

Brink, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brink surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brink in America

Brink is the 2989th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brink surname appeared 11,982 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Brink.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brink to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brink

The surname Brink is of Dutch origin, derived from the word "brink" meaning the edge or border of a field or village. It likely emerged as a descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near the edge or boundary of a town or settlement.

The earliest known records of the name date back to the 13th century in the Netherlands. One of the earliest documented instances is a man named Ghiselbrecht van den Brink, who was mentioned in a legal record from the city of Dordrecht in 1281.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appears in various Dutch historical documents and records, often with slight variations in spelling such as Brinck, Brincke, or Brincken. These variations reflect regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.

In the 16th century, the name Brink gained prominence in the Dutch Republic. One notable figure was Pieter Brink, a successful merchant and city councilor in Amsterdam, who lived from 1525 to 1591.

The Brink surname also spread to other parts of Europe, particularly Germany, where it was sometimes rendered as Brinkmann or Brinckmann. A famous bearer of this variant was Johann Brinkmann, a German botanist and explorer who lived from 1766 to 1835.

As Dutch settlers migrated to other parts of the world, the surname Brink traveled with them. In the 17th century, several families with the name Brink were among the early Dutch settlers in South Africa, where the name remains relatively common today.

One notable South African bearer of the name was André Brink, a renowned novelist and academic who lived from 1935 to 2015. His works explored themes of apartheid and social injustice, earning him international acclaim.

In North America, the Brink surname was brought by Dutch immigrants to New Amsterdam (later New York) in the 17th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is Jacobus Brink, who was born in New Amsterdam in 1663.

Another prominent individual with the surname was Gerrit Brink, an American Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Long Island in 1776. He later became a successful farmer and landowner in New York.

While the surname Brink has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread worldwide and been borne by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brink

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brink.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brink was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brink has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brink was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brink, please contact us.

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