2000
#5,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,339
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Brophy
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Bróithe, meaning "descendant of Bróth," a personal name meaning "anger" or "fierceness."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,219 Americans carry the last name Brophy. That puts it at #5,346 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brophy 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 Brophy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,479
Census rank
#5,346
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,295 bearers of the surname Brophy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5346th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brophy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brophy
The surname BROPHY is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny in the southeastern region of Ireland. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "bróghach," which means "shoe-maker" or "hosier."
The earliest recorded instances of the BROPHY name can be found in medieval Irish records dating back to the 13th century. One notable reference is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Brian Bróghach in the year 1249.
In the 16th century, the BROPHY surname began to appear more frequently in parish records and historic documents. One such example is the will of Thomas Brophy, dated 1557, which was recorded in the Registry of Deeds in Dublin.
The BROPHY name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Edward Brophy (1565-1633), an Irish politician who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1607.
Another prominent BROPHY was Reverend Michael Brophy (1639-1718), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively about the events of the Jacobite Wars in Ireland.
In the 19th century, John Brophy (1801-1885) was a successful Irish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of education and healthcare in his hometown of Carlow.
During the same period, Michael Brophy (1824-1892) gained recognition as a prominent Irish nationalist and journalist, serving as editor of the influential newspaper The Nation.
More recently, John M. Brophy (1920-2004) was a renowned American dentist and academic, who made significant contributions to the field of oral medicine and served as the president of the American Dental Association.
Throughout its history, the BROPHY surname has maintained strong ties to its Irish heritage, with many bearers of the name tracing their ancestral roots back to the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny. While the name has spread to various parts of the world, its origins remain deeply rooted in the rich cultural traditions of Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brophy
Among Census respondents with the surname Brophy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brophy 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 Brophy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 5,796
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 225
- Two or more races2.8% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
- Black or African American0.6% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brophy
Brophy 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
#5,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,557
+218 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#5,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,295
-262 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,077 | 6,339 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,313 | 6,557 | 2.22 | +218 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #5,346 | 6,295 | 2.11 | -262 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 33 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 Brophy 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 | #5,313 | #5,346 | -0.6% |
| Count | 6,557 | 6,295 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.22 | 2.11 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brophy bearers went from 6,557 to 6,295 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,313 to #5,346.
FAQ
Brophy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brophy?
Name Census estimates that about 7,219 living Americans carry the surname Brophy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,479 residents.
How common is Brophy?
Brophy ranks #5,346 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 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 6,295 people with the surname Brophy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 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 Brophy.
Has Brophy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brophy went from 6,557 recorded bearers to 6,295. That is a decrease of 262 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,313 to #5,346.
What does the Census say about the background of Brophy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brophy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Brophy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (5,796 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brophy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (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 Brophy (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 Brophy mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Bróithe, meaning "descendant of Bróth," a personal name meaning "anger" or "fierceness." 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 Brophy (2.11 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 Brophy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.