2000
#9,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,003
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Brockett
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "badger hole" or "den of a badger."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,266 Americans carry the last name Brockett. That puts it at #10,711 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,946 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brockett 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 Brockett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,946
Census rank
#10,711
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,848 bearers of the surname Brockett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10711th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brockett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brockett
The surname Brockett is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "broc" meaning a small stream or brook, and "hætt" meaning a hat or headpiece. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
Brockett was originally found in the counties of Staffordshire and Shropshire in the West Midlands region of England. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where one William Brochet is mentioned.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a place called "Brochehull" is recorded in Staffordshire, which may be related to the surname's origins. Other early spellings of the name include Brocket, Brockett, Brokete, and Broket.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Brockett, who was born in Staffordshire in 1567. He was a prominent landowner and served as a justice of the peace in the county.
Sir John Brockett (1559-1637) was a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire in the early 17th century and played a significant role in the English Civil War as a Royalist supporter of King Charles I.
William Brockett (1768-1842) was a notable English painter and engraver who exhibited his works at the Royal Academy in London.
Reverend John Trotter Brockett (1788-1842) was a respected clergyman and antiquarian from Newcastle upon Tyne. He wrote several books on the history and antiquities of the region.
John Brockett (1829-1890) was a prominent lawyer and judge in New York City, serving as a Justice of the New York Supreme Court from 1884 until his death.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brockett
Among Census respondents with the surname Brockett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brockett 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 Brockett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 2,289
- Black or African American11.3% · 323
- Two or more races3.9% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brockett
Brockett 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
#10,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,111
+108 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 449 places
2020
#10,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,848
-263 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 353 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,909 | 3,003 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,358 | 3,111 | 1.05 | +108 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 449 places |
| 2020 | #10,711 | 2,848 | 0.95 | -263 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 353 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 Brockett 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 | #10,358 | #10,711 | -3.4% |
| Count | 3,111 | 2,848 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.95 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brockett bearers went from 3,111 to 2,848 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 353 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,358 to #10,711.
FAQ
Brockett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brockett?
Name Census estimates that about 3,266 living Americans carry the surname Brockett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,946 residents.
How common is Brockett?
Brockett ranks #10,711 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,848 people with the surname Brockett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,266), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Brockett.
Has Brockett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brockett went from 3,111 recorded bearers to 2,848. That is a decrease of 263 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,358 to #10,711.
What does the Census say about the background of Brockett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brockett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Brockett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (2,289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brockett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Brockett (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 Brockett mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "badger hole" or "den of a badger." 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 Brockett (0.95 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 share the surname Brockett?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.