2000
#6,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Brotherton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Brotherton in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,323 Americans carry the last name Brotherton. That puts it at #6,975 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,391 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brotherton 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 Brotherton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,391
Census rank
#6,975
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,642 bearers of the surname Brotherton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6975th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brotherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brotherton
Among Census respondents with the surname Brotherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brotherton 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 Brotherton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 4,123
- Two or more races4.0% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 165
- Black or African American2.4% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brotherton
Brotherton 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
#6,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,086
+128 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#6,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,642
-444 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 321 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,329 | 4,958 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,654 | 5,086 | 1.72 | +128 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #6,975 | 4,642 | 1.55 | -444 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 321 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 Brotherton 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 | #6,654 | #6,975 | -4.8% |
| Count | 5,086 | 4,642 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.55 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brotherton bearers went from 5,086 to 4,642 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 321 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,654 to #6,975.
FAQ
Brotherton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brotherton?
Name Census estimates that about 5,323 living Americans carry the surname Brotherton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,391 residents.
How common is Brotherton?
Brotherton ranks #6,975 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 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 4,642 people with the surname Brotherton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,323), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 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 Brotherton.
Has Brotherton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brotherton went from 5,086 recorded bearers to 4,642. That is a decrease of 444 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,654 to #6,975.
What does the Census say about the background of Brotherton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brotherton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Brotherton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (4,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brotherton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Brotherton (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 Brotherton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Brotherton in England. 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 Brotherton (1.55 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 Brotherton?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Brotherton at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.