2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Broger
A surname believed to be of Austrian origins indicating the bearer was a baker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Broger. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broger 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Broger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broger, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (38.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broger
The surname Broger has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Middle High German word "bruoger," which meant "miller" or "one who operates a mill." This suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname, given to individuals who worked in mills, likely grinding grains or operating other mill machinery.
In the early records of German genealogy, the name appears in various spellings, such as Brüger, Brücker, and Brockhaus. These variations were common due to regional dialects and inconsistent spelling conventions of the time. The earliest known record of the surname Broger dates back to 1524 in the town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Broger was mentioned in a local registry.
The Broger surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Johann Broger (1520-1584), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and is known for his contributions to the translation of the Bible into German.
Another prominent figure was Tobias Broger (1577-1634), a German mathematician and astronomer. He is credited with improving the accuracy of astronomical calculations and contributed to the development of logarithms, a mathematical tool used in various scientific fields.
In the 18th century, Johann Georg Broger (1701-1778) was a renowned German architect and urban planner. He designed several notable buildings and public spaces in cities such as Dresden and Leipzig, greatly influencing the architectural landscape of the time.
Moving into the 19th century, August Broger (1824-1898) was a German businessman and philanthropist. He founded a successful textile manufacturing company and used his wealth to support educational and cultural institutions in his hometown of Aachen.
Lastly, in the 20th century, Karl Broger (1910-1985) was a German artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings. His works were exhibited in galleries across Europe and contributed to the development of modern art movements in Germany after World War II.
While the surname Broger has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of immigration and migration patterns. However, its historical significance and connections to various professions, from millers to scholars and artists, remain deeply rooted in its German heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broger
Among Census respondents with the surname Broger, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (38.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Broger 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 Broger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.3% · 60
- White38.8% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broger
Broger appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,530 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 5,530 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 Broger 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 | #159,712 | #154,182 | 3.5% |
| Count | 101 | 103 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broger bearers went from 101 to 103 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 5,530 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Broger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broger?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Broger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Broger?
Broger ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Broger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Broger.
Has Broger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broger went from 101 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Broger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broger, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (38.8%) 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Broger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.3% (60 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (58.3%), White (38.8%), 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 Broger (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 Broger mean?
A surname believed to be of Austrian origins indicating the bearer was a baker. 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 Broger (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 have the last name Broger?
Find out how many people are called Broger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.