2000
#8,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Broadwater
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a wide river or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,028 Americans carry the last name Broadwater. That puts it at #8,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,093 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broadwater 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
4.0K
1 in 85,093
Census rank
#8,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,513 bearers of the surname Broadwater in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broadwater
The surname Broadwater is an English toponymic name that originated in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "brad" meaning broad and "wæter" meaning water or stream, referring to a wide body of water or a river. The name likely originated in areas near a broad river or stream, perhaps in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, or Buckinghamshire where such geographical features are found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Broadwater appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1198, where a Robert de Bradewatre is mentioned. The spelling variations in medieval records include Bradewatere, Bradewater, and Broadwater.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1221, where a William de Bradewatre is listed. This suggests the name had spread to other regions of England by this time.
The Broadwater surname is also found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which lists a Hugo de Bradewatre. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in the area where it likely originated.
One notable individual with this surname was Sir William Broadwater (c. 1470-1542), a Member of Parliament for Berkshire during the reign of Henry VIII. He was a prominent landowner in the county and played a role in the dissolution of the monasteries.
Another historical figure was John Broadwater (c. 1530-1595), a successful merchant and alderman in the City of London during the Elizabethan era. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers and served as Sheriff of London in 1585.
In the 17th century, Robert Broadwater (c. 1610-1688) was a renowned English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Warwickshire. He published several religious works, including "The Spiritual Husbandry" in 1645.
During the 18th century, Thomas Broadwater (1732-1806) was a prominent architect and surveyor based in London. He is known for designing several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford.
In the 19th century, Sir William Broadwater (1835-1912) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Yorkshire. He made his fortune in the textile industry and donated generously to educational and charitable causes in his later years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broadwater
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Broadwater 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 Broadwater surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 2,522
- Black or African American21.2% · 743
- Two or more races3.8% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broadwater
Broadwater 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
#8,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,667
+104 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 411 places
2020
#8,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,513
-154 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,514 | 3,563 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,925 | 3,667 | 1.24 | +104 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 411 places |
| 2020 | #8,936 | 3,513 | 1.18 | -154 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 11 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 Broadwater 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 | #8,925 | #8,936 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,667 | 3,513 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.18 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broadwater bearers went from 3,667 to 3,513 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,925 to #8,936.
FAQ
Broadwater surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broadwater?
Name Census estimates that about 4,028 living Americans carry the surname Broadwater. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,093 residents.
How common is Broadwater?
Broadwater ranks #8,936 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 3,513 people with the surname Broadwater. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,028), 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 Broadwater.
Has Broadwater become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broadwater went from 3,667 recorded bearers to 3,513. That is a decrease of 154 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,925 to #8,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Broadwater?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadwater, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Broadwater in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (2,522 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broadwater appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (21.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Broadwater (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 Broadwater mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a wide river or stream. 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 Broadwater (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 Broadwater?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Broadwater is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.