2000
#12,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,365
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Brummer
A German occupational surname referring to someone who makes or sells growling or humming objects, such as spinning tops.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,516 Americans carry the last name Brummer. That puts it at #13,304 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,230 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brummer 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
2.5K
1 in 136,230
Census rank
#13,304
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,194 bearers of the surname Brummer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13304th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brummer
The surname Brummer has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "brummer," which referred to a person who played a drum or other percussion instrument. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to drummers or musicians.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brummer name can be found in the city records of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Brummer is mentioned in the year 1385. Another early reference appears in the court documents of Augsburg, which mention a Konrad Brummer in 1412.
The name's connection to music and performance is further reinforced by its inclusion in the guest lists of various noble courts and residences throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. For instance, records show that a certain Johann Brummer was employed as a court drummer in the service of the Elector of Brandenburg in 1582.
While the Brummer name has its roots in Germany, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe through migration and cultural exchange. One notable bearer of the name was the Dutch composer and organist Pieter Brummer, who lived from 1592 to 1652 and served as the organist of the famous St. Bavo's Cathedral in Haarlem.
In the 18th century, the Brummer surname can be found in various military records, suggesting that some members of the family may have taken up arms as soldiers or officers. One such individual was Karl Brummer, a Prussian officer who fought in the Seven Years' War and was awarded the prestigious Pour le Mérite order for his bravery in battle.
As the centuries passed, the Brummer name continued to be associated with various professions and pursuits. For example, in the 19th century, a certain Wilhelm Brummer gained renown as a renowned clockmaker in the city of Dresden, his intricate timepieces becoming highly sought after by collectors and connoisseurs.
Despite its relatively modest origins, the Brummer surname has produced several notable individuals throughout history, including the German-American architect and urban planner Werner Brummer, who played a significant role in the development of modern-day Los Angeles in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brummer
Among Census respondents with the surname Brummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Brummer 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 Brummer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,040
- Two or more races3.1% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 43
- Black or African American1.3% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brummer
Brummer 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
#11,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,761
+396 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 686 places
2020
#13,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,194
-567 bearers (-20.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 1,890 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,100 | 2,365 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,414 | 2,761 | 0.94 | +396 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 686 places |
| 2020 | #13,304 | 2,194 | 0.73 | -567 bearers (-20.5%) | Down 1,890 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 Brummer 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 | #11,414 | #13,304 | -16.6% |
| Count | 2,761 | 2,194 | -20.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.73 | -21.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brummer bearers went from 2,761 to 2,194 (-20.5% change). The surname moved down 1,890 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,414 to #13,304.
FAQ
Brummer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brummer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,516 living Americans carry the surname Brummer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,230 residents.
How common is Brummer?
Brummer ranks #13,304 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,194 people with the surname Brummer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,516), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Brummer.
Has Brummer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brummer went from 2,761 recorded bearers to 2,194. That is a decrease of 567 (-20.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,414 to #13,304.
What does the Census say about the background of Brummer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Brummer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brummer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Brummer (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 Brummer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who makes or sells growling or humming objects, such as spinning tops. 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 Brummer (0.73 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 Brummer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.