2000
#11,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,434
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Broadhead
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a wide ridge or near the head of a broad valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,842 Americans carry the last name Broadhead. That puts it at #12,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broadhead 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 Broadhead with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,603
Census rank
#12,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,478 bearers of the surname Broadhead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadhead, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broadhead
The surname Broadhead is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words 'brad' meaning broad and 'heafod' meaning head. It is an ancient descriptive surname, initially referring to someone with a broad forehead or a large head.
The earliest known recorded instance of the Broadhead surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Yorkshire, England. It appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census document commissioned by King Edward I, where it is listed as 'Bradhevyed'.
During the medieval period, the Broadhead surname was concentrated primarily in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have originated from the village of Broadhead near Burnley, Lancashire, which was first mentioned in historical records in 1241.
In the 16th century, the surname Broadhead appears in the Subsidy Rolls of 1523-1524 for the county of Yorkshire, indicating its continued presence in the region. Notable bearers of the name during this time include John Broadhead, who was born in 1542 in Oxenhope, Yorkshire.
The Broadhead surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest surviving public record commissioned by William the Conqueror. It is listed under various spellings, such as 'Bradeheved' and 'Bradehefed', further confirming its ancient roots.
Throughout history, several prominent individuals have borne the Broadhead surname. One notable figure was Thomas Broadhead (1604-1677), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Wilsick in Yorkshire. Another was Henry Broadhead (1787-1834), a British naval officer who participated in several significant battles during the Napoleonic Wars.
Other notable Broadheads include William Broadhead (1815-1879), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and John Broadhead (1870-1949), a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northampton from 1923 to 1931.
The Broadhead surname continues to be found predominantly in the United Kingdom, particularly in the northern counties of England, as well as in other English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broadhead
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadhead, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Broadhead 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 Broadhead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 2,231
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 88
- Black or African American3.3% · 81
- Two or more races2.3% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broadhead
Broadhead 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
#12,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,482
+48 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 703 places
2020
#12,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,478
-4 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 467 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,788 | 2,434 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,491 | 2,482 | 0.84 | +48 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 703 places |
| 2020 | #12,024 | 2,478 | 0.83 | -4 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 467 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 Broadhead 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 | #12,491 | #12,024 | 3.7% |
| Count | 2,482 | 2,478 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.83 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broadhead bearers went from 2,482 to 2,478 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 467 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,491 to #12,024.
FAQ
Broadhead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broadhead?
Name Census estimates that about 2,842 living Americans carry the surname Broadhead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,603 residents.
How common is Broadhead?
Broadhead ranks #12,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,478 people with the surname Broadhead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,842), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Broadhead.
Has Broadhead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broadhead went from 2,482 recorded bearers to 2,478. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,491 to #12,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Broadhead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadhead, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Broadhead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (2,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broadhead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (3.3%). 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 Broadhead (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 Broadhead mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a wide ridge or near the head of a broad valley. 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 Broadhead (0.83 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 surname Broadhead?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.