2000
#7,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Broadnax
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "broad oak trees" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,668 Americans carry the last name Broadnax. That puts it at #6,578 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,472 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broadnax 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
5.7K
1 in 60,472
Census rank
#6,578
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,943 bearers of the surname Broadnax in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6578th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadnax, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and White (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broadnax
The surname Broadnax has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "brad" and "naec," meaning "broad" and "neck," respectively. This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive one, referring to someone with a broad or muscular neck.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1166, where a person named Radulfus Brodnacke is mentioned. This spelling variation demonstrates the evolution of the name over time.
Another historical reference to the name Broadnax can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from the year 1273. In this document, a person named Adam Brodnax is listed as a landowner in the village of Brightwell.
As time passed, the name continued to evolve and spread across different regions of England. By the 16th century, variations such as Broadneck, Broddenax, and Broadnox were also in use.
One notable individual with the surname Broadnax was Sir John Broadnax, who lived in the late 15th century. He was a member of the gentry and served as a justice of the peace in Warwickshire.
Another person of historical significance was Robert Broadnax, born in 1592 in Gloucestershire. He was a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in London.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Broadnax settled in Virginia, USA, where they became prominent landowners and planters. One member of this family, Thomas Broadnax (1725-1802), served as a colonel in the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable figure was William Broadnax (1784-1854), a politician and lawyer from North Carolina. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1811 to 1815.
The name Broadnax has also been associated with various places in England, such as Broadnax Farm in Gloucestershire and Broadnax Lane in Warwickshire, further cementing its historical roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broadnax
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadnax, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and White (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Broadnax 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 Broadnax surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American85.3% · 4,216
- Two or more races5.5% · 274
- White5.3% · 264
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broadnax
Broadnax 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
#6,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,983
+648 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Up 340 places
2020
#6,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,943
-40 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Up 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,106 | 4,335 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,766 | 4,983 | 1.69 | +648 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 340 places |
| 2020 | #6,578 | 4,943 | 1.65 | -40 bearers (-0.8%) | Up 188 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 Broadnax 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 | #6,766 | #6,578 | 2.8% |
| Count | 4,983 | 4,943 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.65 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broadnax bearers went from 4,983 to 4,943 (-0.8% change). The surname moved up 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,766 to #6,578.
FAQ
Broadnax surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broadnax?
Name Census estimates that about 5,668 living Americans carry the surname Broadnax. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,472 residents.
How common is Broadnax?
Broadnax ranks #6,578 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,943 people with the surname Broadnax. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,668), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Broadnax.
Has Broadnax become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broadnax went from 4,983 recorded bearers to 4,943. That is a decrease of 40 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,766 to #6,578.
What does the Census say about the background of Broadnax?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadnax, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and White (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Broadnax in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (4,216 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broadnax appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (85.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%), White (5.3%). 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 Broadnax (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 Broadnax mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "broad oak trees" 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 Broadnax (1.65 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 Broadnax?
If you just want to know how many people are called Broadnax, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.