2000
#8,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,690
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Bridgewater
From a place name referring to a settlement near a bridge over a river or body of water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,205 Americans carry the last name Bridgewater. That puts it at #8,603 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,511 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,511
Census rank
#8,603
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,667 bearers of the surname Bridgewater in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8603rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridgewater, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (35.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bridgewater
The surname Bridgewater originated in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "brycg" (bridge) and "wæter" (water), indicating that the name likely referred to an individual who lived near a bridge over a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Richard de Bridgewater from Somerset. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by the late 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Bridgewater name was closely associated with the town of Bridgwater in Somerset. In fact, some historians believe that the town's name may have influenced the spelling of the surname over time.
The Bridgewater surname is also mentioned in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholders and their estates in England after the Norman Conquest. This reference suggests that the name had its origins even earlier, likely in the 11th century.
Notable individuals bearing the Bridgewater surname throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Bridgewater (c. 1490-1558), an English merchant and member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. John Bridgewater (1598-1668), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Oxford.
3. Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (1736-1803), a prominent English nobleman and canal pioneer who oversaw the construction of the Bridgewater Canal.
4. William Bridgewater (1779-1835), an English canal engineer and surveyor who worked on several important canal projects in the early 19th century.
5. George Bridgewater (1815-1881), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent and was known for his powerful batting.
The Bridgewater name has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Bridgewater in Somerset, Bridgwater Bay, and the Bridgewater Canal in Manchester.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bridgewater
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridgewater, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (35.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.0% · 2,017
- Black or African American35.3% · 1,295
- Two or more races4.8% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bridgewater
Bridgewater 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
#8,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,857
+167 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 274 places
2020
#8,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,667
-190 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 71 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,258 | 3,690 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,532 | 3,857 | 1.31 | +167 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 274 places |
| 2020 | #8,603 | 3,667 | 1.23 | -190 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 71 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 Bridgewater 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 | #8,532 | #8,603 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,857 | 3,667 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.23 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bridgewater bearers went from 3,857 to 3,667 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 71 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,532 to #8,603.
FAQ
Bridgewater surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bridgewater?
Name Census estimates that about 4,205 living Americans carry the surname Bridgewater. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,511 residents.
How common is Bridgewater?
Bridgewater ranks #8,603 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,667 people with the surname Bridgewater. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Bridgewater.
Has Bridgewater become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bridgewater went from 3,857 recorded bearers to 3,667. That is a decrease of 190 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,532 to #8,603.
What does the Census say about the background of Bridgewater?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bridgewater, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.0%. The next largest groups are Black (35.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Bridgewater in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.0% (2,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bridgewater appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.0%), Black (35.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Bridgewater (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 Bridgewater mean?
From a place name referring to a settlement near a bridge over a river or body of water. 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 Bridgewater (1.23 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 Bridgewater?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.