2000
#4,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,461
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.40
Rare Last name
Broadway
An English locational surname denoting someone who lived by a wide road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,165 Americans carry the last name Broadway. That puts it at #5,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,837 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broadway 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 Broadway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,837
Census rank
#5,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,248 bearers of the surname Broadway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadway, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broadway
The surname Broadway originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from various place names containing the elements "broad" and "way," referring to a wide road or path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bradewei" in reference to a settlement in Gloucestershire. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms such as "de Bradeweye" and "atte Brodeweye," reflecting the common practice of using prepositions like "de" or "atte" to indicate a person's place of origin.
One notable early bearer of the surname was John Broadway, a member of the English Parliament who represented Gloucestershire in 1397 and 1401.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name began to take on its modern spelling of "Broadway." Records from this period include individuals like Robert Broadway, a merchant from London born in 1570, and Thomas Broadway, a clergyman and author from Worcestershire who lived from 1593 to 1668.
In the 18th century, the name gained further prominence with figures such as George Broadway (1711-1783), a successful London-based bookseller and publisher, and John Broadway (1744-1815), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Bristol.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous bearers of the surname was William Broadway (1818-1898), a renowned English composer and organist who served as the organist of Westminster Abbey for over 40 years.
Throughout history, the Broadway surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers. From merchants and clergymen to architects and musicians, the name has left its mark across various aspects of English society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broadway
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadway, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Broadway 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 Broadway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.2% · 3,947
- Black or African American27.9% · 1,745
- Two or more races5.1% · 319
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broadway
Broadway 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
#5,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,647
+186 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 261 places
2020
#5,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,248
-399 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,986 | 6,461 | 2.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,247 | 6,647 | 2.25 | +186 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 261 places |
| 2020 | #5,391 | 6,248 | 2.09 | -399 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 144 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 Broadway 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 | #5,247 | #5,391 | -2.7% |
| Count | 6,647 | 6,248 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.25 | 2.09 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broadway bearers went from 6,647 to 6,248 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,247 to #5,391.
FAQ
Broadway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broadway?
Name Census estimates that about 7,165 living Americans carry the surname Broadway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,837 residents.
How common is Broadway?
Broadway ranks #5,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 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 6,248 people with the surname Broadway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 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 Broadway.
Has Broadway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broadway went from 6,647 recorded bearers to 6,248. That is a decrease of 399 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,247 to #5,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Broadway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broadway, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Broadway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (3,947 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broadway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.2%), Black (27.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Broadway (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 Broadway mean?
An English locational surname denoting someone who lived by a wide road. 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 Broadway (2.09 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 common is the surname Broadway?
See how common the surname Broadway is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.