2000
#2,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,030
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.83
Uncommon Last name
Briscoe
Derived from a place name meaning "birch wood" or "birch-covered hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,468 Americans carry the last name Briscoe. That puts it at #2,612 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,159 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Briscoe 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 Briscoe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,159
Census rank
#2,612
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,489 bearers of the surname Briscoe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2612th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Briscoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Briscoe
The surname Briscoe is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "briscaud" meaning "a thin flat cake or biscuit." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for a baker or a miller in the 12th or 13th century.
In the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled as "Briscon," "Briscot," or "Briscow." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named "Briscon de Mara" is mentioned.
The surname Briscoe is closely associated with the county of Yorkshire in northern England, where it was particularly prevalent in the areas around Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax. The name can also be found in other parts of England, such as Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Briscoe was John Briscoe (1670-1722), an English playwright and poet. He was born in Bedfordshire and is best known for his tragedy "The Gamester," which dealt with the theme of gambling addiction.
Another prominent individual was Sir Benjamin Briscoe (1828-1895), a British engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of steam engines and railways in India during the 19th century.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Briscoe surname was in Virginia, where Richard Briscoe settled in the colony in the 17th century. His descendants included Robert Briscoe (1894-1968), a prominent Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1956 to 1957 and 1961 to 1962.
The Briscoe surname is also associated with several notable places, such as Briscoe County in Texas, named after Andrew Briscoe (1810-1892), a soldier and pioneer who participated in the Texas Revolution.
Other individuals with the surname Briscoe who have made significant contributions throughout history include Walter Briscoe (1876-1962), an American architect known for his work in New York City, and Anita Briscoe (1882-1963), an American author and screenwriter active in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Briscoe
Among Census respondents with the surname Briscoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Briscoe 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 Briscoe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.8% · 7,127
- Black or African American37.2% · 5,020
- Two or more races5.1% · 685
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 463
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Briscoe
Briscoe 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
#2,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,728
+698 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 4.65
Rank movement Down 80 places
2020
#2,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,489
-239 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 4.51
Rank movement Up 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,549 | 13,030 | 4.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,629 | 13,728 | 4.65 | +698 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 80 places |
| 2020 | #2,612 | 13,489 | 4.51 | -239 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 17 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 Briscoe 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 | #2,629 | #2,612 | 0.6% |
| Count | 13,728 | 13,489 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.65 | 4.51 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Briscoe bearers went from 13,728 to 13,489 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,629 to #2,612.
FAQ
Briscoe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Briscoe?
Name Census estimates that about 15,468 living Americans carry the surname Briscoe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,159 residents.
How common is Briscoe?
Briscoe ranks #2,612 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,489 people with the surname Briscoe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,468), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Briscoe.
Has Briscoe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Briscoe went from 13,728 recorded bearers to 13,489. That is a decrease of 239 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,629 to #2,612.
What does the Census say about the background of Briscoe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Briscoe, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Briscoe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.8% (7,127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Briscoe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.8%), Black (37.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Briscoe (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 Briscoe mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "birch wood" or "birch-covered hill" 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 Briscoe (4.51 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 people have the last name Briscoe?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Briscoe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.