2000
#11,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Middlebrook
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a brook situated between two other features.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,890 Americans carry the last name Middlebrook. That puts it at #11,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Middlebrook 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 Middlebrook with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,600
Census rank
#11,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,520 bearers of the surname Middlebrook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Middlebrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Middlebrook
The surname Middlebrook is an English locational surname derived from the place name Middlebrook, which refers to a brook or stream located in the middle of a particular area or settlement. The name can be traced back to the early medieval period in England, with records indicating its presence in various regions of the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Middlebrook can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a person named William de Middlebrook is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the county of Lincolnshire by the late 12th century.
The Middlebrook surname is also documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1327, indicating its presence in the West Midlands region of England during the 14th century. Additionally, the Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 17th century list several individuals with the surname Middlebrook, suggesting its widespread distribution across different parts of England.
Notable individuals with the surname Middlebrook throughout history include Sir Richard Middlebrook (1572-1643), a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Warwick in the early 17th century. John Middlebrook (1617-1688) was an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious treatises during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, William Middlebrook (1721-1798) was a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, while Thomas Middlebrook (1745-1822) was a renowned clockmaker and inventor who contributed to the development of timepiece mechanisms.
Moving into the 19th century, Charles Middlebrook (1833-1907) was a prominent English architect who designed notable buildings in London and other parts of the country. Additionally, Emily Middlebrook (1868-1946) was a notable educator and advocate for women's rights, actively involved in the suffrage movement in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Middlebrook
Among Census respondents with the surname Middlebrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Middlebrook 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 Middlebrook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.8% · 1,482
- Black or African American32.4% · 817
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 105
- Two or more races3.7% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Middlebrook
Middlebrook 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
#11,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,695
+64 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 548 places
2020
#11,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,520
-175 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,083 | 2,631 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,631 | 2,695 | 0.91 | +64 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 548 places |
| 2020 | #11,880 | 2,520 | 0.84 | -175 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 249 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 Middlebrook 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 | #11,631 | #11,880 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,695 | 2,520 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.84 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Middlebrook bearers went from 2,695 to 2,520 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 249 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,631 to #11,880.
FAQ
Middlebrook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Middlebrook?
Name Census estimates that about 2,890 living Americans carry the surname Middlebrook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,600 residents.
How common is Middlebrook?
Middlebrook ranks #11,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,520 people with the surname Middlebrook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,890), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Middlebrook.
Has Middlebrook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Middlebrook went from 2,695 recorded bearers to 2,520. That is a decrease of 175 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,631 to #11,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Middlebrook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Middlebrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Black (32.4%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Middlebrook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.8% (1,482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Middlebrook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.8%), Black (32.4%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Middlebrook (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 Middlebrook mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a brook situated between two other features. 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 Middlebrook (0.84 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 Americans have the surname Middlebrook?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.