2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Braak
A Dutch surname derived from the word "braak" meaning fallow or uncultivated land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Braak. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braak 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Braak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braak
The surname BRAAK is of Dutch origin, derived from the Old Dutch word "braak" which referred to a fallow or uncultivated piece of land. The name first emerged in the Netherlands during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name BRAAK can be found in various municipal records and charters from the regions of Holland and Friesland in the Netherlands. One of the earliest documented references to the name dates back to 1279, when a certain Willelmus Braak was mentioned in a land registry in the city of Leiden.
Over the centuries, the BRAAK name spread across the Netherlands and neighboring regions, with variations in spelling such as Braack, Braake, and Braecke appearing in different areas. The name was often associated with families who owned or worked on agricultural lands, reflecting its origins.
One notable bearer of the BRAAK surname was Jan Braak, a 16th-century Dutch painter and engraver who was active in Haarlem during the Renaissance period. His works, which included religious scenes and portraits, can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
In the 17th century, a family with the surname BRAAK owned a prominent estate in the town of Sluis, in the province of Zeeland. The Braak family crest, featuring a sheaf of wheat, symbolized their connection to the land and agricultural heritage.
Another distinguished individual with the BRAAK name was Pieter Braak, a Dutch naval officer who served in the Dutch East Indies Company in the late 17th century. He played a significant role in the company's maritime operations and contributed to the exploration and trade in the East Indies.
During the 18th century, a branch of the BRAAK family settled in the Cape Colony of South Africa, where they became influential landowners and farmers. One notable figure from this lineage was Johannes Braak, born in 1756, who was a prominent figure in the early development of the Cape Colony's agricultural sector.
In the 19th century, the BRAAK surname gained recognition in the field of education with the birth of Cornelis Braak (1828-1912), a renowned Dutch teacher and headmaster who made significant contributions to the development of educational methods and curricula in the Netherlands.
As the BRAAK name spread beyond the Netherlands, it was also carried by emigrants to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where descendants of the original Dutch families continue to bear this historic surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braak
Among Census respondents with the surname Braak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Braak 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 Braak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braak
Braak 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,559 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,559 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,858 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 Braak 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 | #148,347 | #150,205 | -1.3% |
| Count | 111 | 109 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braak bearers went from 111 to 109 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,858 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #150,205.
FAQ
Braak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braak?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Braak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Braak?
Braak ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Braak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Braak.
Has Braak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braak went from 111 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Braak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braak, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Braak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Braak (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 Braak mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the word "braak" meaning fallow or uncultivated land. 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 Braak (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 common is the surname Braak?
You can see how many people have the last name Braak on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.