2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brolly
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Brolacháin, meaning "descendant of Brolachán".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Brolly. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brolly 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Brolly with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Brolly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brolly
The surname Brolly is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Brolacháin, which originated in County Westmeath, Ireland in the 12th century. The name is derived from the word "brolach," meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy," suggesting that the original bearer of the name was a person of means.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Brolly dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns during the reign of Elizabeth I. One notable mention is in the Fiants of 1585, which lists a pardon granted to "Donogho O'Brollaghan of Delvin" in County Westmeath.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the Petty Census of 1659, which was a survey of landowners in Ireland conducted by Sir William Petty. The census listed several Brollys residing in County Westmeath, including a Patrick Brolly and a John Brolly.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Edmond Brolly (c. 1670-1741), a Catholic landowner from County Westmeath who was involved in the Jacobite uprisings in Ireland. He fought alongside the Jacobite forces in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and was later pardoned for his involvement.
Another notable figure with the surname Brolly was Michael Brolly (1789-1869), an Irish Catholic priest and author who served as the parish priest of Killybegs in County Donegal. He wrote several religious works, including "The Imitation of Christ" and "The Following of Christ."
In the 19th century, the name appeared in various Irish emigration records, with many Brollys leaving Ireland during the Great Famine of the 1840s and settling in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. One such immigrant was James Brolly (1825-1901), who emigrated from County Westmeath to New York City in the 1850s and became a successful merchant.
Other historical figures bearing the Brolly surname include John Brolly (1836-1913), an Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament for South Tyrone, and Patrick Brolly (1917-2003), an Irish Republican Army member who was involved in the Irish War of Independence.
Overall, the surname Brolly has a rich history rooted in Ireland, with its origins dating back to the 12th century and its bearers playing significant roles in various historical events and movements throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brolly
Among Census respondents with the surname Brolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brolly 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 Brolly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brolly
Brolly 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,211 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,065 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,211 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 9,065 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 Brolly 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 | #141,140 | #150,205 | -6.4% |
| Count | 118 | 109 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brolly bearers went from 118 to 109 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 9,065 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,205.
FAQ
Brolly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brolly?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Brolly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Brolly?
Brolly ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Brolly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Brolly.
Has Brolly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brolly went from 118 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Brolly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Brolly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brolly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Brolly (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 Brolly mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Brolacháin, meaning "descendant of Brolachán". 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 Brolly (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 surname Brolly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.