2000
#33,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 635
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Brotman
An occupational surname derived from the German word "brot" meaning bread, referring to a baker or seller of bread.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 658 Americans carry the last name Brotman. That puts it at #40,983 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 520,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brotman 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
658
1 in 520,903
Census rank
#40,983
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
574
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 574 bearers of the surname Brotman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40983rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brotman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brotman
The surname Brotman originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "brot," meaning bread, suggesting that the first bearers of this name may have been bakers or worked in a related profession involving the production or sale of bread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brotman name can be found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in Bavaria, where a family of bakers named Brotman resided in the 14th century. The name is also mentioned in various medieval records from other regions of Germany, such as the Duchy of Saxony and the Electorate of Brandenburg.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Brotman (1516-1589) was a renowned printer and publisher based in Nuremberg. He played a significant role in the dissemination of literature during the Protestant Reformation era.
Another prominent individual with the Brotman surname was Johann Brotman (1632-1708), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena. His writings on Christian ethics and moral philosophy were highly influential during his time.
In the 19th century, a man named Friedrich Brotman (1812-1884) gained recognition as a pioneering architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design of several notable buildings and public spaces in cities such as Berlin and Frankfurt.
As the Brotman name spread throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Brottmann, Brotmann, and Brodtmann. These variations often reflected regional dialects or linguistic variations within the German language.
Over the centuries, individuals with the Brotman surname have made their mark in various fields, including art, literature, science, and politics. While the name's origins can be traced back to the baking profession, it has since become associated with a diverse range of achievements and contributions to society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brotman
Among Census respondents with the surname Brotman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brotman 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 Brotman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 529
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 16
- Two or more races2.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brotman
Brotman 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
#42,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 505
-130 bearers (-20.5%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 9,028 places
2020
#40,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 574
+69 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 1,875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,830 | 635 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,858 | 505 | 0.17 | -130 bearers (-20.5%) | Down 9,028 places |
| 2020 | #40,983 | 574 | 0.19 | +69 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 1,875 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 Brotman 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 | #42,858 | #40,983 | 4.4% |
| Count | 505 | 574 | 13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.19 | 13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brotman bearers went from 505 to 574 (+13.7% change). The surname moved up 1,875 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,858 to #40,983.
FAQ
Brotman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brotman?
Name Census estimates that about 658 living Americans carry the surname Brotman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 520,903 residents.
How common is Brotman?
Brotman ranks #40,983 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 574 people with the surname Brotman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Brotman.
Has Brotman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brotman went from 505 recorded bearers to 574. That is an increase of 69 (+13.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #42,858 to #40,983.
What does the Census say about the background of Brotman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brotman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Brotman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brotman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Brotman (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 Brotman mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "brot" meaning bread, referring to a baker or seller of bread. 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 Brotman (0.19 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 last name Brotman?
See how many people have the last name Brotman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.