2000
#3,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,839
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.02
Uncommon Last name
Brownlee
A locational surname derived from a place in Scotland, likely referring to a person from a brown meadow or field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,517 Americans carry the last name Brownlee. That puts it at #3,224 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,383 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brownlee 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 Brownlee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,383
Census rank
#3,224
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,915 bearers of the surname Brownlee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3224th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brownlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brownlee
The surname Brownlee originates from the Scottish Lowlands, deriving from the Gaelic words 'brun' meaning 'brown' and 'leth' meaning 'half' or 'side'. It is believed to have first appeared in the 14th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a brown hillside or brown meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brownlee can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1456, where a John Brownlee is mentioned as a landowner in Lanarkshire. The name also appears in various charters and legal documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, often in the spelling variations of Brounlie, Brouneley, or Brouneley.
In the 17th century, the Brownlees were prominent landowners and farmers in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas around Selkirk and Roxburghshire. One notable figure from this era was Robert Brownlee (1610-1677), a minister and prominent figure in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland during the Covenanter Rebellion against Charles I.
The Brownlees also played a role in the Jacobite Risings of the 18th century, with some members supporting the Jacobite cause and others remaining loyal to the Hanoverian monarchy. One such figure was James Brownlee (1712-1785), a soldier who fought for the British Crown during the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
As the Brownlees spread beyond Scotland, the name also gained a foothold in England and Ireland. One notable English Brownlee was Thomas Brownlee (1817-1899), a renowned architect who designed several prominent buildings in London, including the London Pavilion and the Royal College of Music.
In the 19th century, many Brownlees emigrated to the United States and Canada, where the name continues to be prevalent today. One notable American Brownlee was William Craig Brownlee (1783-1860), a politician and lawyer who served as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the surname Brownlee include:
- Walter Brownlee (1869-1946), a Scottish professional golfer and winner of the 1905 Open Championship.
- Joanna Brownlee (1896-1983), an American artist and painter known for her portraits and landscape paintings.
- John Brownlee (1900-1969), an Australian-born operatic baritone who performed extensively in Europe and the United States.
- Thomas Brownlee (1933-2021), a Canadian politician and former Premier of Prince Edward Island.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brownlee
Among Census respondents with the surname Brownlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brownlee 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 Brownlee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 6,077
- Black or African American36.6% · 3,990
- Two or more races3.9% · 424
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brownlee
Brownlee 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
#3,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,344
+505 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Down 120 places
2020
#3,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,915
-429 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.65
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,066 | 10,839 | 4.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,186 | 11,344 | 3.85 | +505 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 120 places |
| 2020 | #3,224 | 10,915 | 3.65 | -429 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 38 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 Brownlee 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 | #3,186 | #3,224 | -1.2% |
| Count | 11,344 | 10,915 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.85 | 3.65 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brownlee bearers went from 11,344 to 10,915 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,186 to #3,224.
FAQ
Brownlee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brownlee?
Name Census estimates that about 12,517 living Americans carry the surname Brownlee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,383 residents.
How common is Brownlee?
Brownlee ranks #3,224 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,915 people with the surname Brownlee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,517), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Brownlee.
Has Brownlee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brownlee went from 11,344 recorded bearers to 10,915. That is a decrease of 429 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,186 to #3,224.
What does the Census say about the background of Brownlee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brownlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Brownlee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (6,077 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brownlee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.7%), Black (36.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Brownlee (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 Brownlee mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Scotland, likely referring to a person from a brown meadow or field. 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 Brownlee (3.65 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 share the surname Brownlee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.