2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brorby
Scandinavian occupational surname derived from words meaning "bridge builder."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Brorby. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brorby 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Brorby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brorby, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brorby
The surname Brorby has its origins in Sweden, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Swedish word "brora," which means "to break," and the suffix "-by," which indicates a village or settlement. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name referring to a village or settlement where something was broken or where there was a break in the terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brorby can be found in the Swedish church records from the late 16th century. In these records, the name appears with various spellings, such as "Broraby" and "Broroby," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
The name Brorby is also closely associated with the Swedish island of Öland, where it was particularly common in the 17th and 18th centuries. Some historical records from this period mention individuals with the surname Brorby, including Johan Brorby, a farmer born in 1642, and Anna Brorby, born in 1708.
In the 19th century, the name Brorby began to spread beyond Sweden as some families emigrated to other parts of the world. One notable individual was Carl Gustav Brorby, a Swedish-American painter born in 1856. He was known for his landscapes and seascapes, and his works can be found in various art galleries and museums in the United States.
Another prominent figure with the surname Brorby was Nils Brorby, a Swedish politician and Member of Parliament born in 1875. He played an important role in the Swedish Social Democratic Party and was actively involved in promoting workers' rights and social welfare policies.
In the 20th century, the name Brorby continued to be found in various parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One individual of note was Sven Brorby, a Swedish-Canadian architect born in 1915, who was known for his innovative designs and contributions to modernist architecture in Canada.
While the surname Brorby may not be as common as some other Swedish surnames, it has a rich history and cultural significance, reflecting the unique heritage and traditions of the regions where it originated and evolved over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brorby
Among Census respondents with the surname Brorby, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brorby 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 Brorby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brorby
Brorby 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,882 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,882 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 887 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 Brorby 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 | #144,141 | #145,028 | -0.6% |
| Count | 115 | 116 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brorby bearers went from 115 to 116 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 887 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,028.
FAQ
Brorby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brorby?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Brorby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Brorby?
Brorby ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Brorby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Brorby.
Has Brorby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brorby went from 115 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Brorby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brorby, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Brorby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brorby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Brorby (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 Brorby mean?
Scandinavian occupational surname derived from words meaning "bridge builder." 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 Brorby (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 Brorby?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.