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

Brinkley, 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 Brinkley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brinkley in America

Brinkley is the 2632nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brinkley surname appeared 13,695 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Brinkley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brinkley 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 Brinkley

The surname Brinkley originated in England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "brinc" and "leah," which together mean "the meadow on the brink or edge of a hill or stream."

One of the earliest known references to the name Brinkley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as a place name in the county of Cambridgeshire. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, given to someone who lived near a specific brink or meadow.

The earliest recorded bearer of the surname Brinkley was William de Brinkelay, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1190. Other early spellings of the name include Brinkley, Brynkeley, and Brinckelai, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that time.

In the 14th century, the name Brinkley is found in the records of the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire, indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in the region. One notable individual from this period was John Brinkley, a landowner in Cambridgeshire who lived between 1320 and 1380.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Brinkley family gained prominence in various parts of England. Sir Thomas Brinkley (1550-1623) was a renowned lawyer and Member of Parliament for the borough of Bedford. His son, Robert Brinkley (1585-1654), was a clergyman and author who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford.

Another notable figure in the history of the Brinkley surname was John Brinkley (1763-1835), an Irish astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was the first person to accurately measure the distance between stars.

In the 19th century, the Brinkley name gained further recognition with the English novelist and playwright Wilfred Brinkley (1848-1912), whose works explored themes of social satire and criticism.

Throughout its history, the surname Brinkley has been associated with various professions, including law, academia, literature, and the sciences, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have borne this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brinkley

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

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 Brinkley 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 Brinkley 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 Brinkley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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