2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cheesebrew
A surname possibly indicating an ancestor involved in brewing or producing cheese.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Cheesebrew. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheesebrew 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Cheesebrew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheesebrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheesebrew
The surname CHEESEBREW originated in the English county of Somerset during the late 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "cyse" meaning cheese and "breowan" meaning to brew or ferment. This suggests the name may have been an occupational surname referring to a person who brewed or fermented cheese.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CHEESEBREW can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1379, where a John Chesebrew is listed as a landowner in the village of Milborne Port. The spelling variation "Chesebrew" provides insight into how the name may have been pronounced at that time.
In the 15th century, the CHEESEBREW name appears in several manorial records and court rolls across Somerset and neighboring Dorset. Notable examples include a Richard Cheesebrew who was a tenant farmer in Yeovil in 1423, and a Thomas Chesebrowe who served as a juror in Sherborne in 1487.
By the 16th century, the name had spread across southern England, with variations like "Cheesbrew" and "Cheesebroughe" appearing in parish registers and tax records. One noteworthy figure was William Cheesbrew (c.1520-1585), a prosperous merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
The 17th century saw the CHEESEBREW name established in various parts of England, from rural villages to larger towns and cities. A significant individual from this era was Samuel Cheesebrew (1632-1701), a renowned Puritan minister who served as the vicar of Compton Pauncefoot in Somerset.
As the centuries progressed, members of the CHEESEBREW family continued to make their mark in different fields. John Cheesebrew (1760-1842) was a respected physician in Bath, while Joseph Cheesebrew (1801-1872) was a successful businessman and landowner in Gloucestershire.
Other notable individuals with the CHEESEBREW surname include Mary Cheesebrew (1845-1920), a pioneering educator and women's rights activist in London, and Arthur Cheesebrew (1878-1954), a decorated military officer who fought in both World Wars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheesebrew
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheesebrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheesebrew 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 Cheesebrew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 102
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheesebrew
Cheesebrew 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+14 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,307 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-17 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,890 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 4,307 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 15,890 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 Cheesebrew 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 | #136,449 | #152,339 | -11.6% |
| Count | 123 | 106 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheesebrew bearers went from 123 to 106 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 15,890 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #152,339.
FAQ
Cheesebrew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheesebrew?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Cheesebrew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Cheesebrew?
Cheesebrew ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Cheesebrew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Cheesebrew.
Has Cheesebrew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheesebrew went from 123 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheesebrew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheesebrew, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Cheesebrew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheesebrew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Black (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Cheesebrew (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 Cheesebrew mean?
A surname possibly indicating an ancestor involved in brewing or producing cheese. 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 Cheesebrew (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 common is the surname Cheesebrew?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Cheesebrew on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.