2000
#11,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,629
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Broomfield
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived in or near a field of broom shrubs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,080 Americans carry the last name Broomfield. That puts it at #11,250 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Broomfield 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 Broomfield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,284
Census rank
#11,250
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,686 bearers of the surname Broomfield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11250th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Broomfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Broomfield
The surname Broomfield has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval era. It is a locational name, derived from the place name "Broomfield" found in various regions across the country, such as Essex, Somerset, and Kent.
The name "Broomfield" is believed to be a combination of the Old English words "brom," meaning broom or shrub, and "feld," meaning field or open land. This suggests that the name originally referred to a field or area covered with broom shrubs.
Historical references to the name can be found in various ancient records and manuscripts. One notable example is the Domesday Book of 1086, where the name is recorded as "Brumfeld" in Essex.
The earliest known record of the Broomfield surname dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a certain Robert de Brumfeld was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire. Another early record is from 1327, when John de Broomfield was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Bromfeld, Broomfelde, and Brumfelde, reflecting the differences in local dialects and scribal interpretations.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Broomfield surname, one can mention:
1. William Broomfield (c. 1525 - 1592), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Taunton during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Thomas Broomfield (1641 - 1702), an English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "The Lord's Supper Laid Forth" published in 1671.
3. Samuel Broomfield (1758 - 1826), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
4. John Broomfield (1816 - 1879), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall.
5. Dorothy Broomfield (1898 - 1988), a British painter and illustrator known for her landscape paintings and illustrations of children's books.
While the surname Broomfield has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with families bearing this name found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Broomfield
Among Census respondents with the surname Broomfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Broomfield 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 Broomfield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.7% · 1,497
- White34.9% · 938
- Two or more races4.8% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Broomfield
Broomfield 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
#11,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,715
+86 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 490 places
2020
#11,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,686
-29 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 328 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,088 | 2,629 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,578 | 2,715 | 0.92 | +86 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 490 places |
| 2020 | #11,250 | 2,686 | 0.90 | -29 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 328 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 Broomfield 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 | #11,578 | #11,250 | 2.8% |
| Count | 2,715 | 2,686 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.90 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Broomfield bearers went from 2,715 to 2,686 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 328 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,578 to #11,250.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Broomfield
FAQ
Broomfield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Broomfield?
Name Census estimates that about 3,080 living Americans carry the surname Broomfield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,284 residents.
How common is Broomfield?
Broomfield ranks #11,250 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,686 people with the surname Broomfield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,080), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Broomfield.
Has Broomfield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Broomfield went from 2,715 recorded bearers to 2,686. That is a decrease of 29 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,578 to #11,250.
What does the Census say about the background of Broomfield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Broomfield, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Broomfield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (1,497 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Broomfield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (55.7%), White (34.9%), 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 Broomfield (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 Broomfield mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived in or near a field of broom shrubs. 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 Broomfield (0.90 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 Broomfield?
You can see how many people have the surname Broomfield on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.