2000
#11,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,532
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Brousseau
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold brushes or brooms.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,862 Americans carry the last name Brousseau. That puts it at #11,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brousseau 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
2.9K
1 in 119,760
Census rank
#11,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,496 bearers of the surname Brousseau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brousseau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brousseau
The surname Brousseau originates from France and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the French word "brousse," which means "brushwood" or "thicket," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked in an area surrounded by dense undergrowth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brousseau can be found in the parish records of Charente-Maritime, a region located in western France. These records date back to the late 1500s and early 1600s, indicating that the name was already established in this area during that time period.
In the 17th century, the name Brousseau appeared in various historical documents, including land records and tax rolls. For example, Pierre Brousseau, born in 1635, was a landowner in the town of Saintes, located in the Charente-Maritime region. His son, Jean Brousseau, born in 1670, was a prominent merchant and ship owner in the same town.
As the Brousseau family expanded and members migrated to other regions of France, variations in the spelling of the name began to emerge. Some of these variations included Brousseaux, Brousseault, and Broussault. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of the record keepers at the time.
One notable figure with the surname Brousseau was François Brousseau, a French architect and engineer born in 1672 in Angers, a city in western France. He was renowned for his work on several notable structures, including the Church of St. Martin in Angers and the Château de Baugé.
Another prominent individual was Marie-Françoise Brousseau, born in 1754 in Toulouse, a city in southern France. She was a talented painter and sculptor who gained recognition for her portraits and religious works during the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Brousseau name continued to appear in various parts of France. Jacques Brousseau, born in 1812 in Bordeaux, was a renowned winemaker who helped establish the region's reputation for producing high-quality wines. His son, Louis Brousseau, born in 1845, followed in his footsteps and became a respected vintner in his own right.
Another notable figure from this period was Émile Brousseau, born in 1870 in Nantes, a city in western France. He was a pioneering aviator and aircraft designer who made significant contributions to the early development of aviation in France.
Throughout its history, the surname Brousseau has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, reflecting the diverse experiences and accomplishments of those who have carried this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brousseau
Among Census respondents with the surname Brousseau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brousseau 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 Brousseau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 2,264
- Two or more races3.3% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 81
- Black or African American1.8% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brousseau
Brousseau 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
#11,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,662
+130 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 351 places
2020
#11,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,496
-166 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,416 | 2,532 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,767 | 2,662 | 0.90 | +130 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 351 places |
| 2020 | #11,967 | 2,496 | 0.84 | -166 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 200 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 Brousseau 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 | #11,767 | #11,967 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,662 | 2,496 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.84 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brousseau bearers went from 2,662 to 2,496 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,767 to #11,967.
FAQ
Brousseau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brousseau?
Name Census estimates that about 2,862 living Americans carry the surname Brousseau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,760 residents.
How common is Brousseau?
Brousseau ranks #11,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,496 people with the surname Brousseau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,862), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Brousseau.
Has Brousseau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brousseau went from 2,662 recorded bearers to 2,496. That is a decrease of 166 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,767 to #11,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Brousseau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brousseau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Brousseau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (2,264 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brousseau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Brousseau (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 Brousseau mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold brushes or brooms. 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 Brousseau (0.84 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 Brousseau?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Brousseau, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.