2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brinkly
An English surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a brink or bank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Brinkly. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brinkly 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.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Brinkly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brinkly, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (15.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brinkly
The surname Brinkly is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name such as Brinkhall or Brincklow. The name is thought to originate from the Old English words "brinc," meaning a slope or brink, and "hyll," meaning a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, where a certain William de Brynkehyll is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 14th century, possibly relating to someone who lived near a steep hill or slope.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1544, where a John Brynkley is recorded. This variation in spelling highlights the fluidity of surnames during that time period before they became more standardized.
The Brinkly surname has also been associated with certain place names, such as Brinklow in Warwickshire, which could have contributed to the development of the name. This village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Brinchelawe," further reinforcing the connection to the Old English roots.
Notable historical figures with the surname Brinkly include:
1. John Brinkley (1763-1835), an Irish-American astronomer and mathematician, known for his work on calculating planetary positions and publishing astronomical tables.
2. David Brinkley (1920-2003), an American journalist and television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring the popular NBC news program "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" in the 1950s and 1960s.
3. Christine Brinkley (born 1954), an American model and actress, famously known for her appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and as the face of CoverGirl cosmetics.
4. William Brinkley (1822-1892), an American politician and journalist, who served as the 35th Governor of Massachusetts from 1891 to 1892.
5. John Brinkly (1885-1942), an infamous American medical charlatan and quack, known for his controversial and unethical practice of implanting goat glands as a supposed cure for male impotence.
Overall, the surname Brinkly has a rich history rooted in Old English toponymic origins, with various spellings and references spanning centuries of records, indicating its longevity and significance within English naming traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brinkly
Among Census respondents with the surname Brinkly, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (15.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brinkly 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 Brinkly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.2% · 70
- Black or African American20.2% · 22
- Two or more races15.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brinkly
Brinkly appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,985 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 Brinkly 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 | #145,220 | #150,205 | -3.4% |
| Count | 114 | 109 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brinkly bearers went from 114 to 109 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #150,205.
FAQ
Brinkly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brinkly?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Brinkly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Brinkly?
Brinkly ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Brinkly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Brinkly.
Has Brinkly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brinkly went from 114 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Brinkly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brinkly, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (15.6%). 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 Brinkly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.2% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brinkly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.2%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (15.6%). 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 Brinkly (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 Brinkly mean?
An English surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a brink or bank. 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 Brinkly (0.04 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 Brinkly?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Brinkly on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.