2000
#42,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 482
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Brimley
A surname from a place name derived from Old English words meaning "brim" and "clearing in the woods".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 761 Americans carry the last name Brimley. That puts it at #36,294 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 450,400 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brimley 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 Brimley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
761
1 in 450,400
Census rank
#36,294
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
664
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 664 bearers of the surname Brimley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36294th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimley, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brimley
The surname Brimley originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "brimm" and "leah," meaning "vigorous" and "woodland clearing" respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person living in a lively or prosperous woodland area.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the name Brimley. These include "Brimelegh" and "Brimelai," which could refer to early spellings or variations of the surname.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Brimley was John Brimley, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, around 1230. Records from the 14th century also mention a William Brimley, a landowner in Somerset, and a Thomas Brimley, a merchant in London.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Brimley family seemed to have a strong presence in the county of Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this period include Richard Brimley (1547-1623), a member of the local gentry, and his son, John Brimley (1585-1661), who served as a magistrate in the county.
The name Brimley has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Brimley Hill in Herefordshire and Brimley Farm in Gloucestershire. These locations may have derived their names from the surname or vice versa, reflecting the historical connection between the family and certain areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Brimley. One example is Wilfred Brimley (1934-2020), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "Cocoon" and "The Firm." Another is John Brimley Bigge (1792-1865), an English lawyer and colonial administrator who served as the Commissioner of Inquiry into the state of the colonies in Australia in the 1820s.
Other notable individuals with the surname Brimley include John Brimley (1631-1691), an English poet and clergyman; Thomas Brimley (1789-1879), a British journalist and essayist; and George Brimley (1819-1857), an English author and literary critic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brimley
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimley, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brimley 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 Brimley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.0% · 425
- Black or African American28.3% · 188
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 24
- Two or more races3.2% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brimley
Brimley 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
#39,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 563
+81 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 3,246 places
2020
#36,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 664
+101 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 2,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,363 | 482 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,117 | 563 | 0.19 | +81 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 3,246 places |
| 2020 | #36,294 | 664 | 0.22 | +101 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 2,823 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 Brimley 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 | #39,117 | #36,294 | 7.2% |
| Count | 563 | 664 | 17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.22 | 16.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brimley bearers went from 563 to 664 (+17.9% change). The surname moved up 2,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,117 to #36,294.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brimley
FAQ
Brimley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brimley?
Name Census estimates that about 761 living Americans carry the surname Brimley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 450,400 residents.
How common is Brimley?
Brimley ranks #36,294 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 664 people with the surname Brimley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (761), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Brimley.
Has Brimley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brimley went from 563 recorded bearers to 664. That is an increase of 101 (+17.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #39,117 to #36,294.
What does the Census say about the background of Brimley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brimley, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Brimley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.0% (425 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brimley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.0%), Black (28.3%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Brimley (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 Brimley mean?
A surname from a place name derived from Old English words meaning "brim" and "clearing in the woods". 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 Brimley (0.22 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 surname Brimley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.