2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Brothman
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English 'brōþor' meaning brewer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Brothman. 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 Brothman 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 Brothman 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 Brothman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brothman
The surname Brothman is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "brothra," meaning "brother," combined with the suffix "-man," which denoted an individual's occupation or status. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person associated with a brotherhood or religious order.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brothman appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century, where a certain Robert Brothman is mentioned as a landowner. This indicates that the name had already gained some prominence by that time.
In the 14th century, the Brothman surname can be found in various records from the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. A notable bearer of the name was John Brothman, a merchant and freeman of the city of Norwich, who lived between 1325 and 1385.
During the 15th century, the Brothman family seems to have established a presence in the county of Lancashire. Records from this period show that a Thomas Brothman was a prominent landowner in the village of Broughton, near Preston.
As the name spread across England, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Brotherman, Broughman, and Broughton. This was common in an era when standardized spelling was not yet widely practiced.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Brothman name was Richard Brothman, a scholar and clergyman who was born in Lincolnshire around 1520. He later became the rector of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire.
Throughout the centuries, the Brothman surname has been associated with various notable individuals across different fields. For example, in the 18th century, there was Samuel Brothman, a renowned clockmaker from London who crafted timepieces for the British aristocracy.
Another prominent bearer of the name was William Brothman, a distinguished architect who lived from 1779 to 1857. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the St. Pancras New Church.
In the 19th century, the Brothman surname gained further recognition through the works of the author and poet, Emily Brothman (1818-1892), whose writings explored themes of nature and spirituality.
Lastly, in the 20th century, one cannot overlook the contributions of Sir Robert Brothman (1901-1987), a renowned scientist and pioneer in the field of nuclear physics. His groundbreaking research laid the foundation for many advancements in nuclear energy and technology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brothman
Among Census respondents with the surname Brothman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brothman 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 Brothman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brothman
Brothman 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-18 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,033 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 25,033 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Up 3,319 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 Brothman 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 | #148,347 | #145,028 | 2.2% |
| Count | 111 | 116 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brothman bearers went from 111 to 116 (+4.5% change). The surname moved up 3,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #145,028.
FAQ
Brothman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brothman?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Brothman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Brothman?
Brothman 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 Brothman. 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 Brothman.
Has Brothman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brothman went from 111 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 5 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Brothman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brothman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Brothman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brothman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Brothman (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 Brothman mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English 'brōþor' meaning brewer. 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 Brothman (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 are called Brothman?
You can see how many people have the last name Brothman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.