Braston
An English masculine name derived from the place name Brasted, England.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Braston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Braston today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Braston births was 2014 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Braston. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Braston. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2014
5 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2014 SSA rank
#12,342
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Braston: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Braston by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Braston during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Braston
The name Braston is believed to have its origins in the Anglo-Saxon era, deriving from the Old English word "bradstān," which translates to "broad stone." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent or large stone formation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Braston can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population records compiled in 1086 during the reign of William the Conqueror. Here, the name is spelled "Bradestun," indicating its evolution over time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Braston appeared in various historical records and chronicles, often associated with individuals of notable standing or landowners. One such example is Sir Braston de Wilton, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the name Braston was John Braston, a renowned English philosopher and theologian. He was born in 1512 and became known for his contributions to the study of logic and metaphysics, publishing several influential works during his lifetime.
Moving forward to the 17th century, Braston Cromwell, a distant cousin of Oliver Cromwell, gained recognition as a skilled military commander during the English Civil War. He was born in 1620 and played a crucial role in several battles, including the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.
Another notable individual with the name Braston was William Braston, a prominent artist and portraitist who lived in the 18th century. Born in 1732, he was celebrated for his skilled depictions of aristocratic figures and influential members of society during the Georgian era.
As the name Braston evolved through various linguistic and cultural influences, it maintained a distinct connection to its Anglo-Saxon roots, carrying with it a sense of solidity and endurance, much like the broad stones from which it is believed to have derived its meaning.
People
Braston + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Braston as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Braston: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Braston?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Braston going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Braston a common name?
We classify Braston as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Braston most popular?
The single biggest year for Braston was 2014, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Braston is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Braston in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Braston a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Braston in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Braston still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Braston in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Braston can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Braston?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Braston at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.