2000
#6,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,846
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.80
Rare Last name
Broom
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brooms, or a sweeper or cleaner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,663 Americans carry the last name Broom. That puts it at #6,586 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,525 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broom 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 Broom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,525
Census rank
#6,586
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,938 bearers of the surname Broom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6586th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broom, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broom
The surname BROOM has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. It is believed to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English word "brom," meaning "broom plant" or "shrub." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked with brooms or lived near an area where broom plants grew in abundance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BROOM can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from the late 13th century, where a person named William Brom is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Brom," was common in earlier times and is likely the root of the modern surname BROOM.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "le Brom" and "atte Brom," indicating its association with a particular location or dwelling. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a Richard atte Brom, suggesting that he lived near an area known for its broom plants.
The BROOM surname can also be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as a place name in various counties, including Derbyshire and Warwickshire. This indicates that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from a place called Broom or a similar variation.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname BROOM. One such person was John Broom (c. 1450-1510), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.
Another notable bearer of the name was George Broom (1766-1856), an English legal writer and author of several influential works on law, including "A Selection of Legal Maxims" and "Constitutional Law Viewed in Relation to Common Law."
In the 19th century, William Broom (1808-1874) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Holloway College in Egham, Surrey.
Additionally, Charles Broom (1854-1939) was a British artist and illustrator known for his works depicting rural life and landscapes in England and Wales.
Finally, John Broom (1936-2014) was a British actor who appeared in numerous television shows and films, including "The Newcomers" and "The Onedin Line."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broom
Among Census respondents with the surname Broom, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Broom 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 Broom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 3,254
- Black or African American25.1% · 1,238
- Two or more races4.5% · 224
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 188
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broom
Broom 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
#6,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,236
+390 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 22 places
2020
#6,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,938
-298 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,462 | 4,846 | 1.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,484 | 5,236 | 1.78 | +390 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 22 places |
| 2020 | #6,586 | 4,938 | 1.65 | -298 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 102 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 Broom 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 | #6,484 | #6,586 | -1.6% |
| Count | 5,236 | 4,938 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.65 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broom bearers went from 5,236 to 4,938 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,484 to #6,586.
FAQ
Broom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broom?
Name Census estimates that about 5,663 living Americans carry the surname Broom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,525 residents.
How common is Broom?
Broom ranks #6,586 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 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 4,938 people with the surname Broom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 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 Broom.
Has Broom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broom went from 5,236 recorded bearers to 4,938. That is a decrease of 298 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,484 to #6,586.
What does the Census say about the background of Broom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broom, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (25.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Broom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (3,254 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Black (25.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Broom (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 Broom mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brooms, or a sweeper or cleaner. 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 Broom (1.65 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 Broom?
Find out how many people have the last name Broom on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.