2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Brumme
A surname derived from the German word for "buzz" or "hum", denoting a location or occupational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Brumme. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brumme 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Brumme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brumme, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brumme
The surname BRUMME is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "brummen," which means "to growl" or "to rumble." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone with a gruff or deep voice, or perhaps someone who was known for grumbling or complaining.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BRUMME can be found in the Biberacher Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the town of Biberach in southern Germany, dating back to the 14th century. In this record, a person named "Conradus dictus Brumme" (Conrad called Brumme) is mentioned in the year 1349.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Nürnberger Hausbücher, a series of records from the city of Nuremberg, which includes a mention of a "Hans Brumme" in the year 1432. This suggests that the name was not only present in southern Germany but also in the more northern regions during that time period.
As for notable individuals bearing the surname BRUMME, one of the earliest known was Johann Brumme, a German theologian and author who lived from 1512 to 1580. He is best known for his work "Catalogus Episcoporum Bambergensium," a historical account of the Bishops of Bamberg.
Another noteworthy figure was Christoph Brumme, a German composer and organist who lived from 1619 to 1677. He held positions at various churches in Leipzig and is known for his compositions for organ and other sacred works.
In the 19th century, there was Friedrich Wilhelm Brumme, a German writer and journalist born in 1804. He was known for his works of fiction, as well as his contributions to various newspapers and magazines of the time.
Moving into the 20th century, one can find references to Hans Brumme, a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who lived from 1899 to 1966. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) during the Weimar Republic.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Wilhelm Brumme, a German painter and sculptor who lived from 1895 to 1977. He is known for his expressionist works, particularly his sculptures and woodcarvings depicting human figures and animals.
While the surname BRUMME may have originated as a nickname or descriptive term, it has since become a established family name with a rich history spanning several centuries and various regions of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brumme
Among Census respondents with the surname Brumme, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brumme 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 Brumme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 103
- Two or more races6.9% · 8
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brumme
Brumme 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+10 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 379 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-20 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,010 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 379 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 19,010 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 Brumme 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 | #126,018 | #145,028 | -15.1% |
| Count | 136 | 116 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brumme bearers went from 136 to 116 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 19,010 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #145,028.
FAQ
Brumme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brumme?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Brumme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Brumme?
Brumme ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Brumme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Brumme.
Has Brumme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brumme went from 136 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Brumme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brumme, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Brumme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brumme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Black (3.4%). 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 Brumme (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 Brumme mean?
A surname derived from the German word for "buzz" or "hum", denoting a location or occupational name. 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 Brumme (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 Brumme?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.