2000
#13,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Brochu
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold spits for roasting meat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,206 Americans carry the last name Brochu. That puts it at #14,799 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brochu 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
2.2K
1 in 155,374
Census rank
#14,799
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,924 bearers of the surname Brochu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14799th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brochu, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brochu
The surname Brochu originated in France, specifically in the region of Anjou. It can be traced back to the early 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "broche," which means "a pointed stick" or "a spit for roasting." It is believed that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who worked with spits or skewers, possibly a cook or a butcher.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brochu can be found in a charter from the Abbey of Saint-Aubin d'Angers, dated 1129. In this document, a certain Radulfus Brochu is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use in the region of Anjou during that time period.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appears in various historical records, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Brocheu, Brocheu, and Brochaux. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling during that era.
In the 16th century, the name Brochu appeared in the records of the parish of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Angers, where a family by that name resided. One notable member of this family was Jean Brochu (1542-1612), a respected merchant and landowner.
Another prominent individual with the surname Brochu was Pierre Brochu (1678-1744), a French soldier and explorer who accompanied the famous explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye on his expeditions in North America. Brochu played a crucial role in the exploration and mapping of the vast territories west of the Great Lakes.
In the 18th century, the name Brochu became more widely spread across France, with families bearing the name living in various regions, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region around Paris. One notable figure from this period was Antoine Brochu (1741-1815), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Paris.
As the centuries passed, the Brochu surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. Some examples include the writer and journalist Émile Brochu (1832-1905), the politician and lawyer Joseph-Édouard Brochu (1867-1937), and the renowned sculptor Armand Brochu (1892-1965), known for his monumental works in Quebec.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brochu
Among Census respondents with the surname Brochu, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brochu 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 Brochu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 1,799
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 60
- Two or more races2.2% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brochu
Brochu 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
#14,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,041
+5 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 922 places
2020
#14,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,924
-117 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 212 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,665 | 2,036 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,587 | 2,041 | 0.69 | +5 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 922 places |
| 2020 | #14,799 | 1,924 | 0.64 | -117 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 212 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 Brochu 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 | #14,587 | #14,799 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,041 | 1,924 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.64 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brochu bearers went from 2,041 to 1,924 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 212 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,587 to #14,799.
FAQ
Brochu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brochu?
Name Census estimates that about 2,206 living Americans carry the surname Brochu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,374 residents.
How common is Brochu?
Brochu ranks #14,799 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,924 people with the surname Brochu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,206), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Brochu.
Has Brochu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brochu went from 2,041 recorded bearers to 1,924. That is a decrease of 117 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,587 to #14,799.
What does the Census say about the background of Brochu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brochu, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Brochu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brochu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Brochu (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 Brochu mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold spits for roasting meat. 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 Brochu (0.64 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 Brochu?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Brochu on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.