2000
#6,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.90
Rare Last name
Bracey
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Bracca's island."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,898 Americans carry the last name Bracey. That puts it at #6,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,114 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bracey 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bracey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,114
Census rank
#6,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,143 bearers of the surname Bracey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bracey
The surname Bracey is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the county of Gloucestershire during the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "bræc," which means "a break" or "a gap," suggesting that it may have referred to someone who lived near a gap or break in a hillside or forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a person named Radulfus de Bracy is mentioned. This suggests that the surname Bracey, or a variation of it, was already in use by the late 12th century.
The name is also found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this historical document, there are several references to places with names similar to Bracey, such as Braceborough and Bracy.
During the medieval period, the name Bracey was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Some notable individuals with this surname from this time include Sir Robert Bracey, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, and William Bracey, a landowner in Somerset who is mentioned in records from the 14th century.
As the name spread across England, variations in spelling began to appear, such as Braceye, Bracye, and Bracie. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the scribes who recorded the names.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Bracey was John Bracey, a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses who played a role in the early colonial government of Virginia. He lived from around 1620 to 1686.
Another individual of note was Samuel Bracey, an English clergyman and author who lived from 1675 to 1737. He wrote several religious works and served as a rector in the Church of England.
In the 19th century, one of the more famous bearers of the name was Reginald Bracey, a British actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows between the 1930s and 1960s. He was born in 1896 and died in 1964.
Overall, the surname Bracey has a rich history dating back to medieval England, with connections to various counties and regions. While its origins are not entirely certain, it is believed to have been derived from an Old English word related to geographical features, and it has been carried by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bracey
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bracey 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 Bracey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.3% · 2,997
- White34.5% · 1,772
- Two or more races4.2% · 215
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bracey
Bracey 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
#6,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,485
+366 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#6,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,143
-342 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,162 | 5,119 | 1.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,230 | 5,485 | 1.86 | +366 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #6,360 | 5,143 | 1.72 | -342 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 130 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 Bracey 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 | #6,230 | #6,360 | -2.1% |
| Count | 5,485 | 5,143 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.86 | 1.72 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bracey bearers went from 5,485 to 5,143 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,230 to #6,360.
FAQ
Bracey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bracey?
Name Census estimates that about 5,898 living Americans carry the surname Bracey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,114 residents.
How common is Bracey?
Bracey ranks #6,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,143 people with the surname Bracey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,898), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bracey.
Has Bracey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bracey went from 5,485 recorded bearers to 5,143. That is a decrease of 342 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,230 to #6,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Bracey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bracey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.3% (2,997 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bracey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (58.3%), White (34.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bracey (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 Bracey mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Bracca's island." 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 Bracey (1.72 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 have the surname Bracey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.