2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bryfogle
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a brushwood or bramble-covered area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Bryfogle. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bryfogle 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Bryfogle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bryfogle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bryfogle
The surname Bryfogle has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "bryo" meaning "to brew" and "fogel" meaning "bird," suggesting a connection to the occupation of brewing or a location associated with brewing and birds.
The earliest known record of the name Bryfogle appears in the church records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where a certain Johann Bryfogle is mentioned in 1592. This suggests that the name may have originated in this region of Germany.
In the 17th century, the name Bryfogle appears in various historical documents across different parts of Germany, such as the town of Heidelberg, where a certain Hans Bryfogle is recorded as a landowner in 1624. This indicates that the name had spread across various regions of Germany during this time.
The first known instance of the name Bryfogle appearing outside of Germany can be traced back to the early 18th century, when a family bearing this surname immigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name in America was Michael Bryfogle, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1725.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Bryfogle, including:
1. Johann Bryfogle (1592 - 1647), a respected brewer and tavern owner in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria.
2. Hans Bryfogle (1624 - 1698), a landowner and farmer in Heidelberg, Germany.
3. Michael Bryfogle (1725 - 1798), one of the earliest known bearers of the name in America, who settled in Pennsylvania.
4. John Bryfogle (1778 - 1842), an American farmer and militia member who fought in the War of 1812.
5. William Bryfogle (1845 - 1919), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Bryfogle Lumber Company in Ohio.
The surname Bryfogle has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, with some of the earliest recorded forms including Bryfogel, Breyfogel, and Breyfogele. These variations likely emerged due to regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions across different parts of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bryfogle
Among Census respondents with the surname Bryfogle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bryfogle 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 Bryfogle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 5
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bryfogle
Bryfogle 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,489 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-18 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,897 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,489 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 13,897 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 Bryfogle 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 | #142,108 | #156,005 | -9.8% |
| Count | 117 | 99 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bryfogle bearers went from 117 to 99 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 13,897 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #156,005.
FAQ
Bryfogle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bryfogle?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Bryfogle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Bryfogle?
Bryfogle ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Bryfogle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bryfogle.
Has Bryfogle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bryfogle went from 117 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 18 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Bryfogle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bryfogle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Black (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 Bryfogle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bryfogle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (5.1%), Black (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 Bryfogle (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 Bryfogle mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a brushwood or bramble-covered area. 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 Bryfogle (0.03 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 Bryfogle?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.