2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Brodeen
A variant spelling of the Danish surname Brodersen, meaning "son of Broder".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Brodeen. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brodeen 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Brodeen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brodeen
The surname Brodeen is believed to have originated in Ireland, dating back to the early 16th century. It is thought to be a variation of the Irish Gaelic surname O'Brodain, derived from the personal name "Brodan," which means "ditch" or "trench."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brodeen can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a Tadhg O'Brodain, a member of a prominent family in County Sligo, in the year 1524.
As the name spread across Ireland, it evolved into various spellings, such as Brodan, Brodeen, Broden, and Brodeyn. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Irish families, including those bearing the surname Brodeen, were displaced from their ancestral lands. This diaspora led to the spread of the name throughout Ireland and beyond.
One notable figure in history with the surname Brodeen was Patrick Brodeen (1820-1887), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the first Bishop of Armidale in New South Wales, Australia. He played a significant role in establishing the Catholic Church in the region.
Another individual of note was Michael Brodeen (1848-1923), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly in the late 19th century, representing a district in New York City.
In the literary world, Mary Brodeen (1905-1980), an American author and children's book writer, is remembered for her works such as "The Little Brute Family" and "The Wild Birthday Cake."
The surname Brodeen has also been associated with notable figures in the fields of education and academia. One example is John Brodeen (1924-2018), an American educator and administrator who served as the president of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1967 to 1970.
Furthermore, Carole Brodeen (born 1939) is an American mathematician and professor emerita at California State University, Northridge, known for her contributions to the field of combinatorics and graph theory.
While the surname Brodeen is not as common as some other Irish surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brodeen
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Brodeen 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 Brodeen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.0% · 6
- Black or African American4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brodeen
Brodeen 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,764 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,764 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,337 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 Brodeen 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 | #134,712 | #142,049 | -5.4% |
| Count | 125 | 120 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brodeen bearers went from 125 to 120 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,337 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #142,049.
FAQ
Brodeen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brodeen?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Brodeen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Brodeen?
Brodeen ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Brodeen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Brodeen.
Has Brodeen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brodeen went from 125 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Brodeen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodeen, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%). 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 Brodeen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brodeen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Hispanic (6.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%). 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 Brodeen (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 Brodeen mean?
A variant spelling of the Danish surname Brodersen, meaning "son of Broder". 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 Brodeen (0.04 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 Brodeen?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Brodeen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.