The Brewer surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 103,318 people carried this name — #303 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,850 people counted. That is up 3% from 100,465 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Brewer surname

A surname originating as an occupation for a brewer of ale.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Brewer» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the brewer’.

An early record he cites: William le Brewere, London, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 131 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 40 people named Brewer live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Córdoba.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Córdoba 27
Buenos Aires Province 13

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 28 people named Brewer.

Most of them — 21 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Oise.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 21
Oise 5
Hérault 1
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

26 people named Brewer is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 26

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Brewer was found among the farmers of 5 counties.

It was most frequent in Cornwall: 17 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 588. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cornwall 17
Gloucestershire 17
Monmouthshire 17
Somerset 15
Worcestershire 14

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Brewer was recorded 11 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1788th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

217 families named Brewer, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,244 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 54
Massachusetts 44
New York 40
Virginia 18
Pennsylvania 16
Maryland 16
Maine 10
Connecticut 8
Vermont 4
South Carolina 4
New Hampshire 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 231 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Brewer in American newspapers,
1906–1920.

Newspaper page from The Courier-Journal carrying the name Brewer
The Courier-Journal 1906-03-18
Newspaper page from Montgomery County Sentinel carrying the name Brewer
Montgomery County Sentinel 1920-08-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 796,022 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Brewer in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

66,890 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brewer. The most, 8,528, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 22,531
Victoria 14,186
Queensland 10,633
Tasmania 9,248
South Australia 5,358
Western Australia 4,173
ACT (Canberra) 643
Northern Territory 30

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brewer.

Who carried it

People named Brewer,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Heinrich Brewer
    Heinrich Brewer 1640–1710 · historian
  • Samuel Brewer
    Samuel Brewer 1724–1796
  • Jehoiada Brewer
    Jehoiada Brewer 1752–1817 · Christian minister
  • E. Cobham Brewer
    E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897 · writer
  • Thomas Mayo Brewer
    Thomas Mayo Brewer 1814–1880 · zoologist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 261 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Brewer,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States6,178 records

6,178 records of the Brewer name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 3,343
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 1,244
  • Other U.S. records 1,591
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Grady Lee Brewer

    Born 1948; from Atlanta, Georgia. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Binh Long, South Vietnam. Buried at Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Donald Edward Brewer

    Born 1931; from Bartow, Florida. U.S. Navy, pilot; declared dead 1953 in Korea. Buried at Barrancas National Cemetery, Florida.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Melos J. Brewer

    Born 1923 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Bragg; office machine operator. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Guilford Memorial Park, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 6,178 records for Brewer in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia1,821 records

1,821 records of the Brewer name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 713
  • Tasmanian Names Index 380
  • Other Australian records 728
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Brewer

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Bussorah Merchant, sailing from Downs in 1829. Native of Old Street, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1839. Married 1840 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 29.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Brewer

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Tory, sailing from London in 1845. Native of Cardiff, Glamorgan. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850. Married 1850 in Morven, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Alfred William Brewer

    Died 1895 in Ringarooma, Tasmania, aged 61. Will registered in Tasmania in 1896.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,821 records for Brewer in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada412 records

412 records of the Brewer name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 287
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 33
  • Other Canadian records 92
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Brewer

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Albert E. Brewer

    Buried in 1939 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 36.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Edwin Brewer

    Buried in 1975 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 77.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 412 records for Brewer in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom70 records

70 records of the Brewer name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 48
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 20
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Brewer

    Buried in 1851 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 61.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frederick George Jeptha Brewer

    Will proved in 1934; of Llanelltyd, Merioneth.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. W. Brewer

    Joyal Dublin Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 70 records for Brewer in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands70 records

70 records of the Brewer name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 35
  • Dutch population registers 27
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 8
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jeanne Marie Brewer

    Married in 1871 in Voorburg; born 1844 in Maarsen. Died 1912 in Loosduinen, aged 67.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jan Mathijs Brewer

    Married in 1844 in Maastricht. Died 1873 in Maastricht, aged 72.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Wilhelmina Adriana Antoinetta Brewer

    Born 1880 in Arnhem. Died 1954 in Utrecht, aged 74.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 70 records for Brewer in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand40 records

40 records of the Brewer name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 35
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard Brewer

    Died 1930, aged 84; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edwin Arnold Brewer

    Died 1916, aged 28; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kathleen Mary Brewer

    Died 1991; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 40 records for Brewer in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France7 records

7 records of the Brewer name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Irene Henriette Charlotte Brewer

    Born 1899 in Paris; died 1983 in Prades (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Peter Verney Brewer

    Born 1935 in Great Britain; died 2000 in La Canourgue (Lozère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 7 records for Brewer in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany3 records

3 records of the Brewer name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Brewer

    From Marburg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 17 June 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Brewer in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Brewer name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Thomas Brewer

    Died 1878 in Kortijk.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Kortrijk (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Brewer.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Brewer is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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