2000
#13,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Bragdon
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "broad valley" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,113 Americans carry the last name Bragdon. That puts it at #15,331 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,212 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bragdon 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
2.1K
1 in 162,212
Census rank
#15,331
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,843 bearers of the surname Bragdon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15331st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bragdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bragdon
The surname BRAGDON has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place name, likely referring to a hamlet or village where the family resided or had some association with.
One possible derivation is from the Old English words "bræc" and "dun," which together mean "brook on a hill." This suggests that the name may have originated from a settlement near a brook situated on a hill or elevated ground. Another theory links the name to the Old English word "bragden," meaning "braided" or "interwoven," potentially referring to a geographical feature or a trade associated with the family.
While the BRAGDON surname does not appear in the Domesday Book, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, it is found in various historical records from the 13th century onward. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John de Bragdon, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1230.
In the 14th century, the name was documented in various forms, such as Bragden, Bragdene, and Bragdyn, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. One notable individual from this period was Richard Bragdon, a landowner in Oxfordshire, who was recorded in the Court Rolls of 1385.
During the 16th century, the BRAGDON surname gained prominence in the county of Wiltshire. A notable figure was Thomas Bragdon (c. 1520-1590), a wealthy merchant and landowner in the town of Salisbury. His descendants continued to hold significant estates in the region for several generations.
In the 17th century, the BRAGDON family expanded to other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. William Bragdon (1628-1701) was a prominent figure in the wool trade in Leeds, while John Bragdon (1654-1718) was a respected clergyman in the village of Grimsby.
As the British Empire expanded, members of the BRAGDON family migrated to various colonies and territories. One notable individual was Robert Bragdon (1725-1795), a merchant and plantation owner in the British West Indies, who amassed considerable wealth through trade and agricultural ventures.
Another significant figure was Samuel Bragdon (1763-1842), an officer in the British Army who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Canada, where he established a successful farming estate in the province of Ontario.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bragdon
Among Census respondents with the surname Bragdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bragdon 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 Bragdon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,671
- Two or more races3.6% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 53
- Black or African American1.4% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bragdon
Bragdon 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
#14,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,999
+15 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 870 places
2020
#15,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,843
-156 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 504 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,957 | 1,984 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,827 | 1,999 | 0.68 | +15 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 870 places |
| 2020 | #15,331 | 1,843 | 0.62 | -156 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 504 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 Bragdon 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 | #14,827 | #15,331 | -3.4% |
| Count | 1,999 | 1,843 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bragdon bearers went from 1,999 to 1,843 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 504 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,827 to #15,331.
FAQ
Bragdon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bragdon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,113 living Americans carry the surname Bragdon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,212 residents.
How common is Bragdon?
Bragdon ranks #15,331 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,843 people with the surname Bragdon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,113), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Bragdon.
Has Bragdon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bragdon went from 1,999 recorded bearers to 1,843. That is a decrease of 156 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,827 to #15,331.
What does the Census say about the background of Bragdon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bragdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Bragdon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bragdon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Bragdon (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 Bragdon mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "broad valley" in Old English. 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 Bragdon (0.62 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 last name Bragdon?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Bragdon, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.