2000
#9,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Broadus
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "broad house" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,526 Americans carry the last name Broadus. That puts it at #10,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,208 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broadus 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
3.5K
1 in 97,208
Census rank
#10,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,075 bearers of the surname Broadus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.0%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broadus
The surname Broadus is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place called Broadhurst or Broadhurst Manor, found in various regions of the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the late 13th century, where a certain Robert de Brodehurst is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire in 1297. This spelling variation hints at the name's potential connection to the village of Broadhurst, located in that county.
The Broadus surname may also have roots in the Old English words "brad" and "hyrst," which together could mean "broad wooded hill" or "broad forest." This linguistic origin would align with the name's likely association with a particular place or manor.
In the 14th century, the Broadus name appeared in the renowned Wills at Chester, a collection of testamentary records from the Diocese of Chester. Specifically, a William de Brodehurst is listed in the records from 1369.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Broadus surname. One example is John Broadus (1827-1895), an American Baptist minister and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
Another individual of note is Edmund Kemper Broadus (1888-1973), an American author and educator who served as the president of the University of New Mexico from 1925 to 1927.
In the realm of sports, Walter Broadus (1892-1951) was an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees during the early 20th century.
The Broadus name can also be found in the literary world, with Elise Broaddus Comer (1869-1960), an American author and teacher who wrote several novels and short stories set in the American South.
Lastly, George Mason Broadus (1876-1945) was a prominent American architect known for his work in the Neoclassical and Georgian Revival styles, designing numerous buildings throughout Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area.
While the Broadus surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and the establishment of new communities over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broadus
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.0%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Broadus 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 Broadus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.0% · 1,507
- White41.6% · 1,279
- Two or more races5.8% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broadus
Broadus 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
#10,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,156
+124 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 376 places
2020
#10,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,075
-81 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,835 | 3,032 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,211 | 3,156 | 1.07 | +124 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 376 places |
| 2020 | #10,006 | 3,075 | 1.03 | -81 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 205 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 Broadus 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 | #10,211 | #10,006 | 2.0% |
| Count | 3,156 | 3,075 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.03 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broadus bearers went from 3,156 to 3,075 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 205 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,211 to #10,006.
FAQ
Broadus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broadus?
Name Census estimates that about 3,526 living Americans carry the surname Broadus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,208 residents.
How common is Broadus?
Broadus ranks #10,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,075 people with the surname Broadus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,526), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Broadus.
Has Broadus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broadus went from 3,156 recorded bearers to 3,075. That is a decrease of 81 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,211 to #10,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Broadus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.0%. The next largest groups are White (41.6%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Broadus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.0% (1,507 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broadus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.0%), White (41.6%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Broadus (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 Broadus mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "broad house" 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 Broadus (1.03 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 have the surname Broadus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.