2000
#24,892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 938
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Broeker
A surname denoting someone residing near a brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,171 Americans carry the last name Broeker. That puts it at #25,376 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 292,702 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broeker 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
1.2K
1 in 292,702
Census rank
#25,376
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,021 bearers of the surname Broeker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25376th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broeker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broeker
The surname "BROEKER" is of Dutch origin, with its earliest records dating back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "broek," which means "marsh" or "swampy area," suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or worked in marshy regions.
The name can be traced back to various historical documents, including parish records and municipal archives from the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the baptismal records of the village of Tiel, Gelderland, where a certain Jan Broeker was listed in 1582.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence in the city of Amsterdam, where several notable individuals bearing the surname Broeker lived and worked. One such person was Pieter Broeker, a successful merchant and alderman who was born in 1621 and served as a member of the city council from 1668 to 1685.
As the Dutch established colonies in various parts of the world, the surname Broeker traveled with them. In the late 17th century, a man named Gerrit Broeker emigrated to the Dutch colony of Suriname in South America, where he became a successful plantation owner.
In the 19th century, the Broeker surname found its way to the United States through Dutch immigration. One notable figure was Johannes Broeker, born in 1825 in the Netherlands, who settled in Michigan and became a respected farmer and community leader.
Another prominent individual with the surname Broeker was Wilhelmina Broeker, a Dutch artist and illustrator born in 1892. She gained recognition for her beautiful watercolor paintings and illustrations, which often depicted scenes from Dutch rural life.
Throughout history, the surname Broeker has been associated with various occupations, including farmers, merchants, artists, and civic leaders. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings in the marshlands of the Netherlands, it has since spread across the globe and taken on a diverse range of meanings and associations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broeker
Among Census respondents with the surname Broeker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Broeker 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 Broeker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 956
- Two or more races3.1% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broeker
Broeker 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
#24,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,000
+62 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 18 places
2020
#25,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,021
+21 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 502 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,892 | 938 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,874 | 1,000 | 0.34 | +62 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 18 places |
| 2020 | #25,376 | 1,021 | 0.34 | +21 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 502 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 Broeker 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 | #24,874 | #25,376 | -2.0% |
| Count | 1,000 | 1,021 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broeker bearers went from 1,000 to 1,021 (+2.1% change). The surname moved down 502 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,874 to #25,376.
FAQ
Broeker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broeker?
Name Census estimates that about 1,171 living Americans carry the surname Broeker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 292,702 residents.
How common is Broeker?
Broeker ranks #25,376 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,021 people with the surname Broeker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Broeker.
Has Broeker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broeker went from 1,000 recorded bearers to 1,021. That is an increase of 21 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,874 to #25,376.
What does the Census say about the background of Broeker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broeker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Broeker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broeker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Broeker (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 Broeker mean?
A surname denoting someone residing near a brook or stream. 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 Broeker (0.34 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 Broeker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.