2000
#2,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,350
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Brumfield
An English occupational surname for someone who lived near a broom field or grew broom plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,036 Americans carry the last name Brumfield. That puts it at #3,084 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,293 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brumfield 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 Brumfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,293
Census rank
#3,084
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,368 bearers of the surname Brumfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3084th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brumfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brumfield
The surname Brumfield is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "brom" meaning "broom" and "feld" meaning "field." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived or worked near a field of broom plants.
One of the earliest known records of the Brumfield surname dates back to the late 13th century in Staffordshire, England. The surname is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, an important medieval census document. This early spelling was recorded as "de Bromfeld."
By the 14th century, variations of the name began to appear in various historical records across different counties in England. Some of these variations included Bromfield, Broomfield, and Brumfield. This diversity in spelling was common during that period due to inconsistent record-keeping practices.
The Brumfield surname can be traced back to several place names in England, such as Broomfield in Somerset, Broomfield in Kent, and Bramfield in Suffolk. It is likely that the name originated from one of these locations, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the place they lived or came from.
Notable individuals with the Brumfield surname in history include:
1. William Brumfield (c. 1450 - 1510), an English merchant and landowner from Worcestershire.
2. John Brumfield (1586 - 1662), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Rowley, Massachusetts.
3. Thomas Brumfield (1670 - 1738), an English soldier who served in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.
4. Mary Brumfield (1726 - 1803), a English Quaker writer and activist who campaigned against slavery and the slave trade.
5. Benjamin Brumfield (1788 - 1867), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the Brumfield surname has remained relatively uncommon, but it has been documented in various parts of England, as well as in the United States and other English-speaking countries due to migration and immigration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brumfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Brumfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brumfield 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 Brumfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.1% · 5,924
- Black or African American40.6% · 4,621
- Two or more races3.8% · 434
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 313
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brumfield
Brumfield 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
#3,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,842
+492 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 4.01
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#3,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,368
-474 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,913 | 11,350 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,027 | 11,842 | 4.01 | +492 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #3,084 | 11,368 | 3.80 | -474 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 57 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 Brumfield 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 | #3,027 | #3,084 | -1.9% |
| Count | 11,842 | 11,368 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.01 | 3.80 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brumfield bearers went from 11,842 to 11,368 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,027 to #3,084.
FAQ
Brumfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brumfield?
Name Census estimates that about 13,036 living Americans carry the surname Brumfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,293 residents.
How common is Brumfield?
Brumfield ranks #3,084 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.80 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 11,368 people with the surname Brumfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,036), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.80 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 Brumfield.
Has Brumfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brumfield went from 11,842 recorded bearers to 11,368. That is a decrease of 474 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,027 to #3,084.
What does the Census say about the background of Brumfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brumfield, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Brumfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.1% (5,924 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brumfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.1%), Black (40.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Brumfield (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 Brumfield mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who lived near a broom field or grew broom plants. 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 Brumfield (3.80 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 Brumfield?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.