2000
#3,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.22
Rare Last name
Breedlove
An English occupational surname for a person who bred love birds or other small birds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,721 Americans carry the last name Breedlove. That puts it at #4,065 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breedlove 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
9.7K
1 in 35,259
Census rank
#4,065
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,477 bearers of the surname Breedlove in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4065th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breedlove, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breedlove
The surname Breedlove has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th century. It is believed to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English words "bræd" meaning "broad" and "lufu" meaning "love". This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who was a breeder or lover of horses or other livestock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Breedlove appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1332, where a John Bredlove is mentioned. It is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a William Bredlove is listed.
The name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Bredlove, Bradlove, and Bredluff. These variations can be found in various historical records, such as parish registers and tax rolls from different parts of England.
In the 16th century, the Breedlove family appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Worcestershire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire, where they held lands and estates. One notable member of the family was John Breedlove (1543-1624), a landowner and justice of the peace in Worcestershire.
Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Breedlove (1615-1695), a baronet and member of the English gentry from Staffordshire. He served as a Member of Parliament and was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the Breedlove name began to spread beyond England, with some families emigrating to the American colonies. One such individual was William Breedlove (1720-1795), a farmer and landowner who settled in Virginia.
In the 19th century, the Breedlove name gained further recognition with the emergence of James Breedlove (1810-1887), a successful businessman and plantation owner from Mississippi. He was also a prominent figure in the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.
Another notable bearer of the name was Richard Breedlove (1850-1917), a pioneer in the field of aviation. He was born in England but later moved to the United States, where he designed and built several early aircraft prototypes.
Throughout history, the Breedlove surname has been associated with various occupations, including farming, trade, and politics. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by families seeking new opportunities and adventures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breedlove
Among Census respondents with the surname Breedlove, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Breedlove 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 Breedlove surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 6,386
- Black or African American15.6% · 1,320
- Two or more races4.3% · 365
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 261
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breedlove
Breedlove 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
#3,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,075
+402 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#4,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,477
-598 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Down 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,754 | 8,673 | 3.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,914 | 9,075 | 3.08 | +402 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #4,065 | 8,477 | 2.84 | -598 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 151 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 Breedlove 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 | #3,914 | #4,065 | -3.9% |
| Count | 9,075 | 8,477 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.08 | 2.84 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breedlove bearers went from 9,075 to 8,477 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,914 to #4,065.
FAQ
Breedlove surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breedlove?
Name Census estimates that about 9,721 living Americans carry the surname Breedlove. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,259 residents.
How common is Breedlove?
Breedlove ranks #4,065 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,477 people with the surname Breedlove. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,721), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Breedlove.
Has Breedlove become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breedlove went from 9,075 recorded bearers to 8,477. That is a decrease of 598 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,914 to #4,065.
What does the Census say about the background of Breedlove?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breedlove, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Breedlove in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (6,386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breedlove appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.3%), Black (15.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Breedlove (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 Breedlove mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who bred love birds or other small birds. 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 Breedlove (2.84 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 Breedlove?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.