2000
#3,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,154
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.76
Uncommon Last name
Broderick
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Bruadair, meaning "descendant of Bruadar" (an Old Irish byname meaning "dream" or "vision").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,557 Americans carry the last name Broderick. That puts it at #3,461 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broderick 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 Broderick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,658
Census rank
#3,461
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,078 bearers of the surname Broderick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3461st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broderick, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broderick
The surname Broderick is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name "Broderick" or "Brothairche", which means "brother" or "descendant of the friar". It is believed to have originated in the counties of Cork and Limerick in Ireland, where it was first recorded in the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Broderick can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of Irish history written in the 12th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Broderick", "Brodrig", and "Brodryg", indicating its evolution over time.
In the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Broderick family gained prominence as members of the Irish landed gentry. Thomas Broderick (c. 1550-1625) was granted land in County Cork and became a prominent landowner.
Over the centuries, the Broderick surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such individual was Sir John Broderick (1625-1707), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1685 to 1687.
Another prominent figure was William Brodrick, 8th Viscount Midleton (1856-1942), a British politician and writer who served as Secretary of State for War from 1901 to 1903.
In the literary world, Fabian Broderick (1921-2010) was an Irish writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and was awarded the Irish American Cultural Institute's Literary Award in 2004.
The Broderick surname has also been associated with sports figures, such as Brendan Broderick (born 1985), an Irish cricketer who has played for the Irish national team.
While the name Broderick has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Australia, and various European countries, as Irish immigrants settled in these regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broderick
Among Census respondents with the surname Broderick, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Broderick 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 Broderick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 8,784
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 452
- Black or African American4.3% · 430
- Two or more races2.9% · 291
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broderick
Broderick 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
#3,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,504
+350 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.56
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#3,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,078
-426 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.37
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,231 | 10,154 | 3.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,404 | 10,504 | 3.56 | +350 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #3,461 | 10,078 | 3.37 | -426 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 57 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 Broderick 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 | #3,404 | #3,461 | -1.7% |
| Count | 10,504 | 10,078 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.56 | 3.37 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broderick bearers went from 10,504 to 10,078 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,404 to #3,461.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Broderick
FAQ
Broderick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broderick?
Name Census estimates that about 11,557 living Americans carry the surname Broderick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,658 residents.
How common is Broderick?
Broderick ranks #3,461 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.37 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 10,078 people with the surname Broderick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,557), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.37 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 Broderick.
Has Broderick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broderick went from 10,504 recorded bearers to 10,078. That is a decrease of 426 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,404 to #3,461.
What does the Census say about the background of Broderick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broderick, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (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 Broderick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (8,784 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broderick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Black (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 Broderick (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 Broderick mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Bruadair, meaning "descendant of Bruadar" (an Old Irish byname meaning "dream" or "vision"). 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 Broderick (3.37 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 Broderick?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Broderick, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.