2000
#12,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,185
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Brinton
Derived from a place name meaning "burnt enclosure" or "place cleared by burning" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,577 Americans carry the last name Brinton. That puts it at #13,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,005 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brinton 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 Brinton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,005
Census rank
#13,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,247 bearers of the surname Brinton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brinton
The surname Brinton originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, deriving from the Old English words "burna" meaning stream and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement. This suggests the name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or a settlement by a stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brineton" in Shropshire. This indicates the name was already well-established by the 11th century in certain parts of England.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the spelling included Bryntone, Brynton, and Brineton, reflecting the diverse dialects and inconsistent record keeping of the time. Place names like Brinton in Norfolk and Brinton in Somerset may have contributed to the surname's spread across different regions.
Notable historical figures with the surname Brinton include William Brinton (c.1537-1618), an English physician and medical writer known for his work on scurvy. Daniel Garrison Brinton (1837-1899) was an American anthropologist and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Native American languages and cultures.
Other individuals of note are Howard Brinton (1884-1973), an American Quaker and peace activist, and Maurice Brinton (1923-2005), a British Trotskyist writer and activist. Christopher Brinton (1512-1581) was an English Catholic martyr who was executed during the Reformation for denying the religious supremacy of Queen Elizabeth I.
Throughout its history, the surname Brinton has maintained a presence primarily in England, but has also been carried by individuals of English descent to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brinton
Among Census respondents with the surname Brinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Brinton 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 Brinton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,021
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 101
- Two or more races3.0% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- Black or African American0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brinton
Brinton 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
#13,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
+37 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 725 places
2020
#13,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,247
+25 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 577 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,902 | 2,185 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,627 | 2,222 | 0.75 | +37 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 725 places |
| 2020 | #13,050 | 2,247 | 0.75 | +25 bearers (+1.1%) | Up 577 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 Brinton 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 | #13,627 | #13,050 | 4.2% |
| Count | 2,222 | 2,247 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brinton bearers went from 2,222 to 2,247 (+1.1% change). The surname moved up 577 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,627 to #13,050.
FAQ
Brinton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brinton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,577 living Americans carry the surname Brinton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,005 residents.
How common is Brinton?
Brinton ranks #13,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,247 people with the surname Brinton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,577), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Brinton.
Has Brinton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brinton went from 2,222 recorded bearers to 2,247. That is an increase of 25 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,627 to #13,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Brinton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brinton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Brinton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,021 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brinton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Brinton (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 Brinton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "burnt enclosure" or "place cleared by burning" in Old English. 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 Brinton (0.75 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 Brinton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.