2000
#11,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Brackin
A variant of the Irish surname Bracken, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Breacáin," meaning "descendant of Breacán" (freckled).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,720 Americans carry the last name Brackin. That puts it at #12,479 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,013 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brackin 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
2.7K
1 in 126,013
Census rank
#12,479
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,372 bearers of the surname Brackin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12479th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brackin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brackin
The surname Brackin originates from England and is believed to have its roots in the Old English word "bræc," which means "newly cultivated land." This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who lived on or worked on land that had been recently cleared for farming purposes.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Brackin can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. In these areas, the name was often spelled as "Brakyn," "Brakene," or "Brakyn."
One of the earliest known references to the name Brackin can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a medieval record of landowners and their holdings in England, dating back to 1273. This document mentions a certain "Walter Brakyn" from the county of Lincolnshire.
In the 14th century, the name Brackin appeared in various tax records and legal documents, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls and the Court Rolls. One notable individual from this period was John Brackin, a merchant from the city of York, who was mentioned in the city's Freemen Rolls in 1376.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Brackin surname became more widespread across England, with families bearing this name residing in various counties, including Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire. One notable individual from this era was William Brackin (1567-1640), a member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers in London.
In the 18th century, the Brackin surname was also found in parts of Scotland, particularly in the Scottish Borders region, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers. One notable Scottish Brackin was Robert Brackin (1721-1792), a farmer and landowner from Roxburghshire.
Throughout the centuries, the Brackin surname has been associated with several place names in England, such as Bracken in Yorkshire and Brackenfield in Derbyshire. These place names are thought to be derived from the same Old English word that gave rise to the surname itself.
Other notable individuals with the Brackin surname include John Brackin (1836-1912), an English-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the mining industry, and Elizabeth Brackin (1888-1968), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brackin
Among Census respondents with the surname Brackin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brackin 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 Brackin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 2,090
- Black or African American4.0% · 96
- Two or more races3.8% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brackin
Brackin 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
#12,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,540
-23 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 937 places
2020
#12,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,372
-168 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 232 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,310 | 2,563 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,247 | 2,540 | 0.86 | -23 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 937 places |
| 2020 | #12,479 | 2,372 | 0.79 | -168 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 232 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 Brackin 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 | #12,247 | #12,479 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,540 | 2,372 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.79 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brackin bearers went from 2,540 to 2,372 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 232 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,247 to #12,479.
FAQ
Brackin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brackin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,720 living Americans carry the surname Brackin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,013 residents.
How common is Brackin?
Brackin ranks #12,479 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,372 people with the surname Brackin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,720), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Brackin.
Has Brackin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brackin went from 2,540 recorded bearers to 2,372. That is a decrease of 168 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,247 to #12,479.
What does the Census say about the background of Brackin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brackin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Brackin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (2,090 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brackin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Black (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Brackin (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 Brackin mean?
A variant of the Irish surname Bracken, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Breacáin," meaning "descendant of Breacán" (freckled). 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 Brackin (0.79 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 Brackin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.