Find out how popular the last name Broca is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Broca.

Broca, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Broca surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Broca in America

Broca is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Broca surname appeared 103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Broca.

The history of the last name Broca

The surname Broca originates from France and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It derives from the Old French word "broche," which means a spit or skewer, possibly referring to an early occupation or a descriptive nickname for someone associated with cooking or hunting.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Cartulaire de Chartres, a medieval cartulary from the city of Chartres in northern France, dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Petrus de Broca" as a witness to a land transaction.

In the 13th century, the name Broca can be found in various records from the Île-de-France region, particularly around Paris. It is believed that the name may have originated in this area and later spread to other parts of France.

A notable individual bearing the Broca surname was Paul Broca (1824-1880), a French physician, anatomist, and anthropologist. He is renowned for his groundbreaking work on the localization of speech functions in the brain, which led to the discovery of the "Broca's area" in the frontal lobe.

Another prominent figure was Pierre Paul Broca (1786-1860), a French lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the French National Assembly during the July Monarchy and the Second Republic.

In the 16th century, the name Broca was sometimes spelled as "Brocca" or "Broqua," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

A place name associated with the Broca surname is Brocas, a commune in the Gard department of southern France. This locality may have played a role in the dissemination of the name, although its precise connection to the surname's origin remains uncertain.

Other notable individuals with the Broca surname include Pierre Ollivier Broca (1832-1917), a French lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the National Assembly, and Eugène Broca (1848-1922), a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Paris.

While the surname Broca has been present in France for centuries, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with bearers of this name found in various countries and cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Broca

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Broca.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Broca was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Broca was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Broca, please contact us.

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