2000
#6,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,887
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Brookins
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived by a brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,757 Americans carry the last name Brookins. That puts it at #6,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,537 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brookins 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
5.8K
1 in 59,537
Census rank
#6,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,020 bearers of the surname Brookins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brookins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.0%. The next largest groups are White (35.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brookins
The surname Brookins is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "broc" meaning a small stream or brook, and "holm" meaning a small hill or island. The name likely refers to someone who lived near a small stream or brook on a small hill or island.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Brocholme." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in parts of England.
During the 13th century, variations of the name such as "Brokholme" and "Brokholmes" appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273. These early spellings reflect the evolution of the name over time.
In the 14th century, the surname began to take on its more modern spelling of "Brookins." One notable example is John Brookins, who was born in 1367 in Gloucestershire and served as a yeoman to the local lord.
By the 16th century, the Brookins family had spread to various parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties such as Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Brookins was Sir Richard Brookins (1588-1662), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the English Civil War.
Another notable figure was Reverend Thomas Brookins (1624-1695), a Puritan minister who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottinghamshire for over 40 years.
In the 18th century, the Brookins family continued to thrive, with several members achieving prominence. William Brookins (1707-1782) was a successful merchant and banker in London, while his son, also named William Brookins (1736-1819), became a respected lawyer and judge.
As the Brookins family continued to grow and spread across England and other parts of the British Isles, the surname took on various spellings, including Brookings, Brookin, and Brookens. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its connection to small streams and hills.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brookins
Among Census respondents with the surname Brookins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.0%. The next largest groups are White (35.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brookins 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 Brookins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.0% · 2,813
- White35.3% · 1,770
- Two or more races4.8% · 239
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brookins
Brookins 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
#6,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,499
+612 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Up 195 places
2020
#6,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,020
-479 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,414 | 4,887 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,219 | 5,499 | 1.86 | +612 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 195 places |
| 2020 | #6,499 | 5,020 | 1.68 | -479 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 280 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 Brookins 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 | #6,219 | #6,499 | -4.5% |
| Count | 5,499 | 5,020 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.86 | 1.68 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brookins bearers went from 5,499 to 5,020 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 280 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,219 to #6,499.
FAQ
Brookins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brookins?
Name Census estimates that about 5,757 living Americans carry the surname Brookins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,537 residents.
How common is Brookins?
Brookins ranks #6,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,020 people with the surname Brookins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,757), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Brookins.
Has Brookins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brookins went from 5,499 recorded bearers to 5,020. That is a decrease of 479 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,219 to #6,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Brookins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brookins, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.0%. The next largest groups are White (35.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brookins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.0% (2,813 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brookins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (56.0%), White (35.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Brookins (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 Brookins mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived by 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 Brookins (1.68 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 common is the surname Brookins?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Brookins is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.