2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bruewer
A German surname derived from the occupation of brewing beer or ale.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Bruewer. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bruewer 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Bruewer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruewer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bruewer
The surname BRUEWER originates from Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It was initially concentrated in the northern regions of the country, particularly around the cities of Hamburg and Bremen. The name is derived from the Old German word "bruwen," which means "to brew" or "to make beer," indicating that the family's earliest members were likely involved in the brewing trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BRUEWER surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the late 16th century. This suggests that the name was well-established in this region during that time period.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the BRUEWER name was Johann BRUEWER, a German brewer and merchant born in 1625 in Bremen. He is credited with establishing one of the city's most successful brewing companies, which continued to operate until the late 19th century.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Hans BRUEWER, a German cartographer and surveyor who lived from 1685 to 1757. He is renowned for his detailed maps of the German states, which were highly valued for their accuracy and precision.
During the 18th century, the BRUEWER name began to spread beyond northern Germany, with some families migrating to other parts of the country and even to neighboring regions. One such individual was Friedrich BRUEWER, a German soldier and engineer born in 1732 in Hanover, who later served in the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War.
In the 19th century, the BRUEWER surname gained further recognition with Wilhelm BRUEWER, a German physicist and inventor born in 1838 in Berlin. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the early telegraph and telephone systems.
Additionally, there are records of a family named BRUEWER residing in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria, during the late 19th century. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by that time.
Throughout its history, the BRUEWER surname has maintained a strong connection to its brewing roots, with many families continuing to be involved in the beer-making industry over multiple generations. However, as with many surnames, it has also branched out into various other professions and fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruewer
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruewer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruewer 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 Bruewer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruewer
Bruewer 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,529 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 1,412 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,529 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 Bruewer 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 | #139,228 | #145,757 | -4.7% |
| Count | 120 | 115 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruewer bearers went from 120 to 115 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,529 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #145,757.
FAQ
Bruewer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruewer?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Bruewer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Bruewer?
Bruewer ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Bruewer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bruewer.
Has Bruewer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruewer went from 120 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruewer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruewer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Bruewer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruewer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (1.7%). 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 Bruewer (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 Bruewer mean?
A German surname derived from the occupation of brewing beer or ale. 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 Bruewer (0.04 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 Bruewer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.