2000
#8,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Brittingham
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead of Brytta's people" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,056 Americans carry the last name Brittingham. That puts it at #8,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,506 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brittingham 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
4.1K
1 in 84,506
Census rank
#8,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,537 bearers of the surname Brittingham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brittingham, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brittingham
The surname Brittingham is of English origin, derived from the place name Brittingham in the county of Norfolk, England. This place name is believed to have its roots in the Old English words "bryht" meaning "bright" or "brilliant" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village". The earliest known recording of this surname dates back to the 13th century.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England, there is a mention of a place called "Britingham" in Norfolk, which is likely the precursor to the modern Brittingham surname. This suggests that the name has been in existence for nearly a thousand years.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Brittingham was John Brittingham, who was born in Norfolk, England, around 1250. He is mentioned in several local records from that time period.
Another notable bearer of this surname was Sir Robert Brittingham, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 14th century. He was instrumental in the English victory at the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
In the 16th century, a family of Brittinghams settled in the village of Brettenham in Suffolk, England, which may have led to variations in the spelling of the surname, such as Brettenham or Brettingham.
During the 17th century, several Brittingham families immigrated to the American colonies, with records showing their presence in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maryland.
One of the earliest recorded Brittinghams in America was William Brittingham, who was born in England in 1620 and settled in Northampton County, Virginia, in the 1640s. He became a prominent landowner and was involved in local government.
Another notable figure was John Brittingham, born in 1685 in Somerset County, Maryland. He was a successful merchant and served as a justice of the peace in his community.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Brittingham family settled in Pennsylvania, with Joseph Brittingham, born in 1735, becoming a wealthy landowner and respected member of the community.
Overall, the Brittingham surname has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including knights, landowners, merchants, and government officials.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brittingham
Among Census respondents with the surname Brittingham, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Brittingham 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 Brittingham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 2,563
- Black or African American20.8% · 734
- Two or more races3.5% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brittingham
Brittingham 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
#8,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,689
+127 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 358 places
2020
#8,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,537
-152 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,517 | 3,562 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,875 | 3,689 | 1.25 | +127 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 358 places |
| 2020 | #8,888 | 3,537 | 1.18 | -152 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 13 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 Brittingham 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 | #8,875 | #8,888 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,689 | 3,537 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.18 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brittingham bearers went from 3,689 to 3,537 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,875 to #8,888.
FAQ
Brittingham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brittingham?
Name Census estimates that about 4,056 living Americans carry the surname Brittingham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,506 residents.
How common is Brittingham?
Brittingham ranks #8,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,537 people with the surname Brittingham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Brittingham.
Has Brittingham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brittingham went from 3,689 recorded bearers to 3,537. That is a decrease of 152 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,875 to #8,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Brittingham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brittingham, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Brittingham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (2,563 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brittingham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Black (20.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Brittingham (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 Brittingham mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "homestead of Brytta's people" 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 Brittingham (1.18 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 Brittingham?
See how many Americans have the surname Brittingham on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.