2000
#7,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Middlebrooks
Refers to someone living near a stream crossing or bridge situated between two brooks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,243 Americans carry the last name Middlebrooks. That puts it at #7,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Middlebrooks 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
5.2K
1 in 65,374
Census rank
#7,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,572 bearers of the surname Middlebrooks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Middlebrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Middlebrooks
The surname Middlebrooks is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name referring to a location near a brook or stream, with the prefix "middle" indicating its position between two other places or geographical features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, dating back to 1296, where it appears as "Middelbroke." This suggests that the name had already been established in the southern county of Sussex by the late 13th century.
During the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "Middilbroke" and "Middelbrooke," can be found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1346 and the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.
The surname Middlebrooks is closely associated with the county of Staffordshire, particularly the area around the village of Middlebrook, which is located near the town of Wolverhampton. It is likely that many individuals bearing this surname originated from or resided in this region.
Notable individuals with the surname Middlebrooks include Sir John Middlebrooks (1552-1628), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Stafford in the early 17th century. Another notable figure was William Middlebrooks (1670-1741), a Quaker minister and author from Pennsylvania, who wrote extensively on religious topics.
In the 18th century, the surname appeared in various colonial records in North America, indicating the migration of individuals bearing this name to the New World. One such example is Samuel Middlebrooks (1725-1810), a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia who fought at the Battle of Brandywine.
Other notable individuals with the surname include John Middlebrooks (1820-1887), a Confederate soldier and lawyer from Alabama, and William H. Middlebrooks (1852-1924), a Baptist minister and educator who served as the president of Mercer University in Georgia from 1897 to 1919.
While the surname Middlebrooks has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, reflecting the migration patterns of individuals bearing this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Middlebrooks
Among Census respondents with the surname Middlebrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Middlebrooks 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 Middlebrooks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.4% · 2,351
- White41.7% · 1,908
- Two or more races4.4% · 202
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Middlebrooks
Middlebrooks 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
#7,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,643
+386 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Up 30 places
2020
#7,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,572
-71 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,228 | 4,257 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,198 | 4,643 | 1.57 | +386 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 30 places |
| 2020 | #7,067 | 4,572 | 1.53 | -71 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 131 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 Middlebrooks 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 | #7,198 | #7,067 | 1.8% |
| Count | 4,643 | 4,572 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.53 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Middlebrooks bearers went from 4,643 to 4,572 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,198 to #7,067.
FAQ
Middlebrooks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Middlebrooks?
Name Census estimates that about 5,243 living Americans carry the surname Middlebrooks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,374 residents.
How common is Middlebrooks?
Middlebrooks ranks #7,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,572 people with the surname Middlebrooks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,243), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Middlebrooks.
Has Middlebrooks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Middlebrooks went from 4,643 recorded bearers to 4,572. That is a decrease of 71 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,198 to #7,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Middlebrooks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Middlebrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.4%. The next largest groups are White (41.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Middlebrooks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.4% (2,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Middlebrooks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.4%), White (41.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Middlebrooks (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 Middlebrooks mean?
Refers to someone living near a stream crossing or bridge situated between two brooks. 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 Middlebrooks (1.53 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 have the last name Middlebrooks?
Find out how common the surname Middlebrooks is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.