2000
#5,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.24
Rare Last name
Browder
An English occupational surname referring to a person who makes ale or beer, derived from the Middle English "browder."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,754 Americans carry the last name Browder. That puts it at #5,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,748 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Browder 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
6.8K
1 in 50,748
Census rank
#5,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,890 bearers of the surname Browder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Browder, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Browder
The surname BROWDER is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "broc" meaning a brook or stream, and "deor" meaning a deer. It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a brook frequented by deer.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1275, where it appears as William Brockdere. Other early spellings include Brockedere, Brokedere, and Brokdere.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places containing the word "broc", such as Brochamtone in Warwickshire and Brocsop in Nottinghamshire, which may have been the origin of some variants of the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Browdere, born around 1420 in Gloucestershire. He was a landowner and served as a member of the local parish council.
Sir Thomas Browder (1490-1558) was a prominent figure during the reign of King Henry VIII. He served as a member of the Privy Council and was granted lands in Hertfordshire.
During the English Civil War, Captain Richard Browder (1610-1685) fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He later settled in Essex and became a successful merchant.
In the 18th century, William Browder (1725-1790) was a respected author and poet, known for his works on English literature and philosophy.
Another notable individual was Emily Browder (1820-1892), an English philanthropist and social reformer. She founded several charities and worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of the poor in London's East End.
Throughout its history, the BROWDER surname has been associated with various regions of England, particularly the counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Hertfordshire, where it has its earliest documented origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Browder
Among Census respondents with the surname Browder, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Browder 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 Browder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.6% · 3,803
- Black or African American26.2% · 1,542
- Two or more races5.1% · 301
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Browder
Browder 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
#5,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,249
+193 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 271 places
2020
#5,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,890
-359 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,292 | 6,056 | 2.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,563 | 6,249 | 2.12 | +193 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 271 places |
| 2020 | #5,675 | 5,890 | 1.97 | -359 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 112 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 Browder 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 | #5,563 | #5,675 | -2.0% |
| Count | 6,249 | 5,890 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.97 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Browder bearers went from 6,249 to 5,890 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,563 to #5,675.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Browder
FAQ
Browder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Browder?
Name Census estimates that about 6,754 living Americans carry the surname Browder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,748 residents.
How common is Browder?
Browder ranks #5,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,890 people with the surname Browder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,754), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Browder.
Has Browder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Browder went from 6,249 recorded bearers to 5,890. That is a decrease of 359 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,563 to #5,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Browder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Browder, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Browder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (3,803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Browder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.6%), Black (26.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Browder (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 Browder mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who makes ale or beer, derived from the Middle English "browder." 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 Browder (1.97 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 are called Browder?
Find out how many people have the surname Browder on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.