2000
#2,836
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,588
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.30
Uncommon Last name
Brubaker
A German occupational surname referring to a person who brews beer or works in a brewery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,971 Americans carry the last name Brubaker. That puts it at #2,697 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,895 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brubaker 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
15K
1 in 22,895
Census rank
#2,697
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,055 bearers of the surname Brubaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2697th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brubaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brubaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Brubaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brubaker 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 Brubaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 12,194
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 372
- Two or more races2.4% · 317
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 82
- Black or African American0.4% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brubaker
Brubaker 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
#2,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,218
+630 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 4.14
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#2,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,055
+837 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 4.37
Rank movement Up 237 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,836 | 11,588 | 4.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,934 | 12,218 | 4.14 | +630 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #2,697 | 13,055 | 4.37 | +837 bearers (+6.9%) | Up 237 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 Brubaker 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 | #2,934 | #2,697 | 8.1% |
| Count | 12,218 | 13,055 | 6.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.14 | 4.37 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brubaker bearers went from 12,218 to 13,055 (+6.9% change). The surname moved up 237 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,934 to #2,697.
FAQ
Brubaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brubaker?
Name Census estimates that about 14,971 living Americans carry the surname Brubaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,895 residents.
How common is Brubaker?
Brubaker ranks #2,697 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.37 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 13,055 people with the surname Brubaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,971), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.37 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 Brubaker.
Has Brubaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brubaker went from 12,218 recorded bearers to 13,055. That is an increase of 837 (+6.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,934 to #2,697.
What does the Census say about the background of Brubaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brubaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Brubaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (12,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brubaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Brubaker (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 Brubaker mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who brews beer or works in a brewery. 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 Brubaker (4.37 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 Americans have the surname Brubaker?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.