2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Broadman
A surname referring to a person of broad or large build.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Broadman. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broadman 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 Broadman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Broadman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broadman
The surname Broadman originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "brad" meaning broad or wide, and "mann" meaning man. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone of broad or large stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Roger Brodeman is mentioned. The spelling variations at the time included Brodeman, Broadman, and Bradman.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various county records across England, such as the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from 1273, which mentions a John Brodeman. This indicates that the name was well-established by this period and had spread across different regions.
The Broadman surname is also associated with several place names, particularly in areas where individuals with this surname may have resided or held land. For example, the village of Broadman in Gloucestershire and the hamlet of Broadman's Green in Hertfordshire are believed to have taken their names from families bearing this surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Broadman throughout history include William Broadman, a prominent merchant in London during the 16th century, and John Broadman, a member of the Worshipful Company of Coopers in the 17th century. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Broadman (1650-1718), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Taunton in Somerset.
In the literary world, the surname is associated with Eliza Broadman (1792-1872), an English novelist and poet who wrote several works in the early 19th century. Additionally, Sir Edward Broadman (1815-1894) was a renowned architect and designer of several notable buildings in London during the Victorian era.
While these are just a few examples, the Broadman surname has a rich history in England, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages and spanning various professions and social classes over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broadman
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Broadman 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 Broadman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 85
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Black or African American4.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broadman
Broadman 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-15 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 24,975 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,479 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 24,975 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 2,479 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 Broadman 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 | #157,234 | #154,755 | 1.6% |
| Count | 103 | 102 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broadman bearers went from 103 to 102 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 2,479 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #154,755.
FAQ
Broadman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broadman?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Broadman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Broadman?
Broadman ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Broadman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Broadman.
Has Broadman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broadman went from 103 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Broadman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadman, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (4.9%). 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 Broadman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broadman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Black (4.9%). 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 Broadman (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 Broadman mean?
A surname referring to a person of broad or large build. 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 Broadman (0.03 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 share the surname Broadman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.