Find out how popular the last name Brubaker is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brubaker.

Brubaker, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brubaker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brubaker in America

Brubaker is the 2934th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brubaker surname appeared 12,218 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Brubaker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brubaker to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brubaker

The surname Brubaker has its origins in the Germanic regions of Europe, specifically in areas of what is now Germany and Switzerland. The name is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "bruochen," which means "to use" or "to enjoy," and the word "bach," meaning "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name referring to someone who lived near or worked with a stream or brook.

Historically, the name Brubaker can be traced back to the 16th century in various records from the region. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the town records of Zurich, Switzerland, where a Hans Brubacher is mentioned in 1532. Another early record of the name appears in the church records of Kirchheimbolanden, Germany, where a Johanna Brubacher is listed in 1584.

In the 17th century, the name is found in various German and Swiss records, including tax rolls and census documents. For example, a Johann Brubacker is recorded in the tax records of Worms, Germany, in 1632, and a Bernhard Brubacher is listed in the census records of Bern, Switzerland, in 1688.

One notable bearer of the Brubaker name was Johann Brubacher (1680-1742), a Swiss Anabaptist leader and minister who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. He was one of the earliest Brubaker settlers in North America and played a significant role in the establishment of the Mennonite community in the region.

Another prominent figure with the Brubaker surname was Jacob Brubaker (1779-1846), an American farmer and politician from Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and was involved in the development of the local community.

Other notable individuals with the Brubaker surname include:

1. John Brubaker (1826-1899), an American inventor and industrialist who founded the J.A. Brubaker Company, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery.
2. Merrill Brubaker (1910-2001), an American botanist and professor at Kansas State University, known for his contributions to the study of plant genetics.
3. Robert Brubaker (1916-2016), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Brubaker Charitable Trust, which supports various educational and community initiatives.
4. Judith Brubaker (1934-2016), an American artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public installations and environmental art projects.
5. Randall Brubaker (born 1964), an American writer and screenwriter best known for his work on the television series "Desperate Housewives" and "Devious Maids."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brubaker

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brubaker.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brubaker was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brubaker has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brubaker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brubaker, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!