Find out how popular the last name Bromley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bromley.

Bromley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bromley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bromley in America

Bromley is the 6146th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bromley surname appeared 5,576 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bromley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bromley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bromley

The surname Bromley originates from England and dates back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Bromley, located in the county of Kent. The name is believed to come from the Old English word "brom" meaning "broom" and "leah" meaning "woodland clearing," referring to a clearing where broom grew abundantly.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bromley appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to the manor of Bromley, which was held by a person named Ralph.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Bromley was Richard de Bromleye, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Kent in 1285. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English government, indicating that Richard de Bromleye held a position of importance or wealth.

During the 14th century, the name Bromley appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which listed several individuals with the surname from Kent and Essex. One prominent individual was John de Bromley, who was mentioned in the Patent Rolls of 1343 as holding lands in Staffordshire.

In the 15th century, the Bromley family gained significant prominence, with Sir John Bromley (c. 1390-1468) serving as Lord Chancellor of England from 1466 to 1467 under King Edward IV. Another notable figure was Walter Bromley (c. 1440-1508), who was the Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1504 to 1508.

The 16th century saw the rise of William Bromley (c. 1504-1568), who was a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire and known for his involvement in the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII. Additionally, Sir Thomas Bromley (1530-1587) served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1579 to 1587 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Throughout history, the Bromley surname has been associated with various notable individuals, including the English novelist William Stanley Bromley Davenport (1799-1873), the British Army officer Sir Walter Bromley-Davenport (1856-1924), and the English cricketer and politician Edward Bromley (1828-1916).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bromley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bromley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bromley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bromley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bromley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bromley, please contact us.

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