2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brokenborough
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a broken or ruined borough or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Brokenborough. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brokenborough 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Brokenborough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brokenborough, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brokenborough
The surname BROKENBOROUGH has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from a place name that was likely a small village or hamlet. The name itself is an amalgamation of two Old English words, "brocen" meaning "broken" and "burgh" meaning "fort" or "fortified town."
This suggests that the name may have originated from a settlement established on the site of an abandoned or ruined fortification. It's possible that the name was initially used as a descriptive term to identify people who lived in or near this particular location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BROKENBOROUGH name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1176. The entry mentions a certain "Robert de Brokeburgh," indicating that the name was in use during the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, with the spelling "Brokeneburgh." This variant spelling provides further evidence of the name's evolution and adaptation over time.
A notable figure bearing the BROKENBOROUGH name was Sir William Brokenborough, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the late 14th century. He was mentioned in several contemporary records, including the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire in 1387.
Another individual of historical significance was John Brokenborough, a merchant and alderman of London in the mid-15th century. He is recorded as having served as the Sheriff of London in 1458.
In the 16th century, the name can be found in the Parish Registers of Oxfordshire, where a certain Thomas Brokenborough was recorded as having been baptized in 1567.
The BROKENBOROUGH surname also has connections to place names in various parts of England. For example, there is a hamlet called Brokenborough in Wiltshire, which may have been the original location from which the name derived.
Other notable individuals with the BROKENBOROUGH surname include:
1. Edward Brokenborough (c. 1620-1685), an English clergyman and author.
2. Margaret Brokenborough (c. 1670-1742), a landowner and philanthropist from Gloucestershire.
3. Henry Brokenborough (1745-1813), a military officer who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
4. Elizabeth Brokenborough (1785-1862), a writer and poet from Yorkshire.
5. George Brokenborough (1820-1892), a prominent architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brokenborough
Among Census respondents with the surname Brokenborough, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brokenborough 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 Brokenborough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.9% · 102
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- White2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brokenborough
Brokenborough 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,320 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,871 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 4,320 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,871 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 Brokenborough 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 | #140,157 | #145,028 | -3.5% |
| Count | 119 | 116 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brokenborough bearers went from 119 to 116 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,871 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #145,028.
FAQ
Brokenborough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brokenborough?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Brokenborough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Brokenborough?
Brokenborough ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Brokenborough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Brokenborough.
Has Brokenborough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brokenborough went from 119 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Brokenborough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brokenborough, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brokenborough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brokenborough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (87.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Brokenborough (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 Brokenborough mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a broken or ruined borough or town. 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 Brokenborough (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 Brokenborough?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Brokenborough is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.