The Brewster surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 19,564 people carried this name — #1,830 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 15,100 people counted. That is up 5% from 18,554 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Brewster surname

A surname originating as an occupation. An English and Scottish occupational surname for a brewer of ale.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Brewster» (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 brewster’.

An early record he cites: Emma la Breustere, Buckinghamshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 132 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Brewster was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Nottinghamshire: 12 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 833. 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

Nottinghamshire 12
Suffolk 9
Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 9

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

Brewster was recorded 12 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1665th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 15. 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

142 families named Brewster, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 852 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 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

Connecticut 42
New York 36
Massachusetts 21
New Hampshire 17
Vermont 13
Pennsylvania 5
Maine 4
North Carolina 2
South Carolina 2

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

Brewster in American newspapers,
1905–1911.

Newspaper page from The Watchman And Southron carrying the name Brewster
The Watchman And Southron 1906-04-04
Newspaper page from Reporter And Farmer carrying the name Brewster
Reporter And Farmer 1905-08-17
Newspaper page from Saturday News carrying the name Brewster
Saturday News 1911-04-14

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,258 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Brewster in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

31,114 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Brewster. The most, 5,432, date from the 1920s. 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 South Australia, at 2.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 10,277
South Australia 8,290
Victoria 5,818
Queensland 3,314
Tasmania 2,243
Western Australia 813
ACT (Canberra) 180
Northern Territory 71

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

Who carried it

People named Brewster,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Brewster
    William Brewster 1566–1644 · theologian
  • William Brewster d. 1465 · priest
  • Robert French-Brewster d. 1901 · politician
  • unknown Brewster d. 1754
  • Sir Francis Brewster d. 1704
  • Margaret Brewster d. 1850

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Brewster,
in the records of 7 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 States2,035 records

2,035 records of the Brewster name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 599
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 578
  • Other U.S. records 858
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hewlett E. Brewster

    Born 1912 in New York. Enlisted 1941 at Jamaica; construction worker from Suffolk County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1983, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (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 Carl Warden Brewster

    Born 1950; from Forest, Ohio. U.S. Army, infantryman; died of wounds 1971 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jane Brewster

    Arrived at New York in 1870 aboard the Cuba from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 30; matron. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,035 records for Brewster in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia547 records

547 records of the Brewster name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 234
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 131
  • Other Australian records 182
  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 Thomas Brewster

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Eden, sailing from Plymouth in 1848. Native of Bermondsey, Surrey. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Francis Brewster

    Died 1928 in Hospital, Latrobe, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1929.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record George Brewster

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Waverley, aged 40; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 547 records for Brewster in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada263 records

263 records of the Brewster name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 212
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 19
  • Other Canadian records 32
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Brewster

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Prussian, bound for Montreal, 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 Laura May Brewster

    Died 1963, aged 81; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Florence M. Brewster

    Died 1919 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 263 records for Brewster in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom39 records

39 records of the Brewster name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 18
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 15
  • Other British records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Arnot Brewster

    Buried in 1968 at Mar Place Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 70.

    Stirling Council. 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 William Brewster

    Will proved in 1860; of Liverpool, Llandudno, Lancaster,Caernarvon.

    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 Harry Brewster

    Died 1918. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 39 records for Brewster in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · 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 Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · 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).

Netherlands13 records

13 records of the Brewster name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 7
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Augusta Elisabeth Brewster

    Died 1961 in Venlo, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jeane Bertha Emma Brewster

    Died 1966 in Rotterdam, aged 75.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Hoyt William Brewster

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1910 in Salt Lake.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Brewster in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Brewster name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 5
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Brewster

    Died 1915, aged 75; buried at Sydenham 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 Rebecca Elizabeth Irene Brewster

    Died 1986, aged 79; buried at Tairua Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Ellen Brewster

    Died 1892, aged 35; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Brewster in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel 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).

France3 records

3 records of the Brewster 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 Maurice William Brewster

    Born 1925 in Fargniers (Aisne); died 1993 in Dunkerque (Nord).

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

    Born 1933 in Great Britain; died 2001 in Sainte-Eulalie-d'Ans (Dordogne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Brewster 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Brewster.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Brewster is.
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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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