2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Braafhart
A Dutch surname derived from the words "braaf" (virtuous) and "hart" (heart), implying a person with a kind and upright nature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Braafhart. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braafhart 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Braafhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braafhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braafhart
The surname BRAAFHART originated in the Netherlands. It is believed to have first appeared in written records during the late 16th century. The name is likely derived from the Dutch words "braaf" meaning "honest, upright, or virtuous" and "hart" meaning "heart". This combination suggests the name was initially a descriptive nickname for someone considered to be of good and honest character.
One of the earliest known instances of the BRAAFHART surname can be found in a baptismal record from 1597 in the town of Leiden, where a child named Pieter BRAAFHART was christened. In the following decades, the name began appearing more frequently in municipal and church archives across various towns and cities in the provinces of South Holland and North Holland.
A notable early bearer of the BRAAFHART name was Gerrit BRAAFHART, a merchant and alderman who lived in Amsterdam in the mid-17th century. Records indicate he was a prominent figure in the city's thriving trade industry and held several positions of authority within the local government.
Another historically significant individual was Adriaen BRAAFHART, a renowned landscape painter born in Rotterdam in 1678. His works, depicting idyllic rural scenes and atmospheric Dutch landscapes, were highly sought after during his lifetime and can now be found in prestigious art collections worldwide.
In the 18th century, the BRAAFHART surname spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany and Belgium. One individual of note was Johann BRAAFHART, a German theologian and professor of divinity who lived from 1725 to 1802. He authored several influential religious texts and was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time.
During the 19th century, some members of the BRAAFHART family emigrated to other parts of the world, including the United States and South Africa. One such individual was Pieter BRAAFHART, a Dutch settler who arrived in the Cape Colony in 1842 and became a successful farmer and landowner in the region.
While the BRAAFHART surname may not be among the most common in modern times, it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries and various notable bearers who made significant contributions in their respective fields and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braafhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Braafhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Braafhart 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 Braafhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 110
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braafhart
Braafhart appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+17 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 16,201 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 Braafhart 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 | #159,712 | #143,511 | 10.1% |
| Count | 101 | 118 | 16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braafhart bearers went from 101 to 118 (+16.8% change). The surname moved up 16,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Braafhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braafhart?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Braafhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Braafhart?
Braafhart ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Braafhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Braafhart.
Has Braafhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braafhart went from 101 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 17 (+16.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Braafhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braafhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Braafhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braafhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Braafhart (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 Braafhart mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the words "braaf" (virtuous) and "hart" (heart), implying a person with a kind and upright nature. 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 Braafhart (0.04 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 Braafhart?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Braafhart on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.