2000
#6,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,527
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.68
Rare Last name
Mcbroom
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brooms.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,030 Americans carry the last name Mcbroom. That puts it at #7,325 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,142 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcbroom 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mcbroom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,142
Census rank
#7,325
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,386 bearers of the surname Mcbroom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7325th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbroom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcbroom
The surname MCBROOM originated in Scotland, first appearing in written records in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "broom," which refers to the shrub or small tree with yellow flowers. This suggests the name may have been originally a nickname for someone who lived near an area with an abundance of broom plants.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England following his invasion of Scotland. An entry for a John McBroom from Aberdeenshire is listed among those taking the oath.
The MCBROOM surname is most closely associated with the Scottish Highlands, particularly in regions like Inverness-shire and Ross and Cromarty. Variations in spelling over the centuries include McBroome, McBrume, and McBroon. Some of these alternate spellings may have been influenced by the anglicization of Gaelic names during periods of English rule.
A notable early bearer of the name was Sir William McBroom, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. He was rewarded with lands in Fife for his service.
In the 16th century, records show a John McBroom who served as a parish clerk in Elgin in the 1520s. Around the same time, a Robert McBroom was a respected merchant and burgess in Aberdeen in the 1540s.
Moving into the 17th century, Reverend Alexander McBroom (1616-1691) was a Church of Scotland minister who served parishes in Cromarty and Sutherland. He authored several religious treatises during his lifetime.
A century later, General Alexander McBroom (1751-1831) had a distinguished military career, fighting in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars before retiring to his estate in Perthshire.
James McBroom (1788-1859) was a Scottish botanist and plant collector who made important contributions to the cataloging of plant species found across Britain during the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcbroom
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbroom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcbroom 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 Mcbroom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 3,432
- Black or African American9.6% · 423
- Two or more races5.9% · 260
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 189
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcbroom
Mcbroom 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
#7,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,573
+46 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 445 places
2020
#7,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,386
-187 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,842 | 4,527 | 1.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,287 | 4,573 | 1.55 | +46 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 445 places |
| 2020 | #7,325 | 4,386 | 1.47 | -187 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 38 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 Mcbroom 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 | #7,287 | #7,325 | -0.5% |
| Count | 4,573 | 4,386 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.47 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcbroom bearers went from 4,573 to 4,386 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,287 to #7,325.
FAQ
Mcbroom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcbroom?
Name Census estimates that about 5,030 living Americans carry the surname Mcbroom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,142 residents.
How common is Mcbroom?
Mcbroom ranks #7,325 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,386 people with the surname Mcbroom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Mcbroom.
Has Mcbroom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcbroom went from 4,573 recorded bearers to 4,386. That is a decrease of 187 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,287 to #7,325.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcbroom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcbroom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Mcbroom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (3,432 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcbroom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.2%), Black (9.6%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Mcbroom (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 Mcbroom mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brooms. 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 Mcbroom (1.47 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 Mcbroom?
See how many Americans have the surname Mcbroom on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.