2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brodehl
A locational surname from a place called Brodehl in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Brodehl. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brodehl 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Brodehl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brodehl
The surname BRODEHL has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. Originally from the region of Saxony, the name is derived from the Old German words "brod" meaning "broad" and "ehl" meaning "pool" or "marsh". This suggests that the name may have referred to a person who lived near a broad pool or marshland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BRODEHL can be found in the town records of Chemnitz, Saxony, from the year 1543, where a person named Hans BRODEHL is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from other parts of Saxony throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, often with slight variations in spelling such as "BRODEHLE" or "BRODDEL".
During the 18th century, the BRODEHL family seems to have spread to other regions of Germany, as evidenced by the birth of Johann Friedrich BRODEHL in 1723 in the town of Marburg, in the state of Hesse. Another notable BRODEHL from this time period was Wilhelm BRODEHL (1755-1822), a painter and engraver from Berlin.
In the 19th century, the BRODEHL name gained some prominence with the birth of Gustav BRODEHL (1831-1899), a German composer and music teacher who lived and worked in Leipzig. Another noteworthy figure was Karl BRODEHL (1879-1957), a German architect who designed several buildings in the city of Hamburg.
As the 20th century arrived, the BRODEHL family continued to make contributions in various fields. One such individual was Kurt BRODEHL (1908-1982), a renowned German economist and academic who taught at various universities across Europe. Additionally, Hans BRODEHL (1920-2002) was a respected German novelist and poet whose works explored themes of identity and the human condition.
While the BRODEHL surname may not be as well-known as some others, its history can be traced back several centuries, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various aspects of German society and culture over the years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brodehl
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brodehl 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 Brodehl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brodehl
Brodehl 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Brodehl 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brodehl bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Brodehl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brodehl?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Brodehl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Brodehl?
Brodehl ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Brodehl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Brodehl.
Has Brodehl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brodehl went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Brodehl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brodehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Brodehl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brodehl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Brodehl (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 Brodehl mean?
A locational surname from a place called Brodehl in Germany. 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 Brodehl (0.03 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 Brodehl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.