Find out how popular the last name Brush is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brush.

Brush, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brush surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brush in America

Brush is the 5218th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brush surname appeared 6,690 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Brush.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brush to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brush

The surname Brush is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'brysc' or 'brisc', which means 'brush' or 'bushes'. It is an occupational name, initially given to someone who worked with brushwood or made brushes for a living.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brush can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, from the year 1198, where a person named Robert le Bruschere is mentioned. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, with the spelling 'le Bruscher'.

During the medieval period, the surname Brush was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. It is believed that the name may have originated from these areas, where the brush-making trade was likely prominent.

In the 16th century, the surname Brush was recorded in various forms, such as Brussher, Bruschere, and Bruscher, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common during that time.

Notable individuals with the surname Brush include John Brush (1826-1888), an American industrialist and inventor who co-founded the Brush Electric Company, and Gordon Brush (1912-2001), an American artist known for his abstract expressionist paintings.

In the 17th century, the surname Brush appeared in the parish records of Clavering, Essex, where a family with that name resided for several generations. One notable member of this family was Craven Brush (1654-1733), a wealthy landowner and justice of the peace.

Another prominent individual with the surname Brush was Charles Francis Brush (1849-1929), an American inventor and entrepreneur best known for developing the arc light and the Brush dynamo, which were instrumental in the early days of electric lighting.

The Brush surname can also be traced back to the village of Brush in Buckinghamshire, England, which may have contributed to the name's origin and dissemination.

Over time, the surname Brush has spread across various parts of England and beyond, with families bearing this name found in other parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brush

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brush.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brush was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brush has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brush was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brush, please contact us.

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