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

Brotherton, 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 Brotherton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brotherton in America

Brotherton is the 6654th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brotherton surname appeared 5,086 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 Brotherton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brotherton 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 Brotherton

The surname Brotherton has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Brotherton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, which itself takes its name from an Old English word meaning "the farm of the brothers" or "the settlement of brothers."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brotherton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brodretone." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, a renowned knight named Sir Thomas de Brotherton was born, likely taking his surname from the Yorkshire town. He was the son of King Edward I of England and his second wife, Margaret of France. Sir Thomas played a significant role in the Scottish Wars of Independence and was later created Earl of Norfolk in 1312.

Another notable figure bearing the Brotherton name was Sir Richard de Brotherton, who was a member of the Order of the Garter and served as the Marshal of England in the late 14th century. He was a prominent military commander during the Hundred Years' War.

In the 16th century, a clergyman named William Brotherton (1535-1624) gained recognition as a scholar and theologian. He served as the Master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and authored several works on religious subjects.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Captain John Brotherton (1618-1684) was a notable figure who fought on the Parliamentarian side. He played a role in the defense of York against the Royalist forces.

Another individual of note was Sir Payan Brotherton (1670-1749), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1735. He was instrumental in establishing several charitable institutions in the city.

While the surname Brotherton has its roots in Yorkshire, it has since spread to various parts of England and beyond, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brotherton

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

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 Brotherton 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 Brotherton 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 Brotherton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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