2010
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brabenec
A locational surname from a place name derived from a Slavic personal name Brab/Braben and -nec meaning "from".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Brabenec. 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 Brabenec 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 Brabenec 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 Brabenec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brabenec
The surname BRABENEC is of Czech origin, with roots dating back to the early Middle Ages in the region of Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. It is believed to have derived from the Old Czech word "braben," meaning "pine tree" or "pine grove."
In medieval times, surnames often originated from descriptive terms related to a person's occupation, physical characteristics, or geographic location. The surname BRABENEC likely referred to someone who lived near or worked with pine trees, perhaps as a forester, woodcutter, or charcoal burner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BRABENEC name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century, where a certain Vaceslaus Brabenec is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Mnichovice near Prague.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Jan Brabenec, a Czech Protestant reformer and author who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510-1589). He wrote several influential works criticizing the excesses of the Catholic Church and advocating for religious reform.
In the 17th century, a family of BRABENEC nobles resided in the town of Litomyšl, where they owned a manor house and lands. One member, Zikmund Brabenec (1620-1687), served as a local magistrate and played a role in the region's governance during the turbulent times of the Thirty Years' War.
During the 19th century, the BRABENEC name gained prominence in the field of education. Václav Brabenec (1819-1892) was a respected teacher and headmaster in Prague, known for his innovative teaching methods and dedication to promoting education among the Czech populace.
In more recent times, the Czech composer and conductor Libor Brabenec (1946-2020) achieved international recognition for his interpretations of classical and contemporary works, particularly those by Czech composers such as Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček.
While the BRABENEC surname has its roots in Bohemia, it has since spread to other parts of the Czech Republic and can also be found among Czech diaspora communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brabenec
Among Census respondents with the surname Brabenec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brabenec 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 Brabenec surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brabenec
Brabenec 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-18 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 17,157 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 Brabenec 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 | #133,048 | #150,205 | -12.9% |
| Count | 127 | 109 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brabenec bearers went from 127 to 109 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 17,157 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #150,205.
FAQ
Brabenec surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brabenec?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Brabenec. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Brabenec?
Brabenec 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 Brabenec. 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 Brabenec.
Has Brabenec become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brabenec went from 127 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Brabenec?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brabenec, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Brabenec in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brabenec appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Brabenec (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 Brabenec mean?
A locational surname from a place name derived from a Slavic personal name Brab/Braben and -nec meaning "from". 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 Brabenec (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 Americans have the surname Brabenec?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.