2000
#4,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.98
Rare Last name
Bracken
An English and Irish surname derived from a place of residence near a thicket of bracken ferns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,849 Americans carry the last name Bracken. That puts it at #4,458 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,734 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bracken 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 Bracken with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,734
Census rank
#4,458
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,717 bearers of the surname Bracken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4458th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracken, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bracken
The surname Bracken originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "bracken" which refers to a type of fern commonly found in the countryside. As such, the name was likely adopted as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a bracken-covered area.
One of the earliest known records of the Bracken name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1185, mentioning a William de Bracken. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname, but it does mention several place names that may be connected, such as Brackenthwaite in Cumberland and Brackenfield in Derbyshire.
In the 13th century, the spelling of the name varied, with forms like Braken, Brakyn, and Brakene appearing in various records. Place names like Brackenrigg in Lancashire and Brackenborough in Lincolnshire also emerged during this period, suggesting the name's geographical spread.
One notable early bearer of the surname was Sir Robert de Bracken, a 14th-century knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence under Edward III. Another was William Bracken, a 15th-century English merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, whose descendants established themselves as gentry.
Among the more famous individuals with the Bracken surname is Reginald Bracken (1905-1986), a British actor known for his roles in films like "The Quatermass Xperiment" and "Peeping Tom." Another is Brendan Bracken (1901-1958), a prominent British politician and close confidant of Winston Churchill during World War II.
In the literary world, Anne Bracken (1670-1743) was an Irish poet and playwright, while Harry M. Bracken (1900-1993) was an American author best known for his Western novels. The name has also been associated with several notable academics, including Edmund Bracken (1834-1897), an Irish mathematician and professor at Queen's University Belfast.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bracken
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracken, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bracken 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 Bracken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 6,670
- Black or African American5.4% · 418
- Two or more races4.0% · 311
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 216
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bracken
Bracken 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
#4,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,265
+223 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 231 places
2020
#4,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,717
-548 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,068 | 8,042 | 2.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,299 | 8,265 | 2.80 | +223 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 231 places |
| 2020 | #4,458 | 7,717 | 2.58 | -548 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 159 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 Bracken 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 | #4,299 | #4,458 | -3.7% |
| Count | 8,265 | 7,717 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.58 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bracken bearers went from 8,265 to 7,717 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,299 to #4,458.
FAQ
Bracken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bracken?
Name Census estimates that about 8,849 living Americans carry the surname Bracken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,734 residents.
How common is Bracken?
Bracken ranks #4,458 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,717 people with the surname Bracken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,849), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bracken.
Has Bracken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bracken went from 8,265 recorded bearers to 7,717. That is a decrease of 548 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,299 to #4,458.
What does the Census say about the background of Bracken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bracken, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bracken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (6,670 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bracken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bracken (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 Bracken mean?
An English and Irish surname derived from a place of residence near a thicket of bracken ferns. 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 Bracken (2.58 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 Bracken?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.