2000
#13,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Braham
An English surname derived from the Old English word for broom or bramble, referring to someone who lived near such plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,213 Americans carry the last name Braham. That puts it at #14,767 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braham 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 Braham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,882
Census rank
#14,767
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,930 bearers of the surname Braham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14767th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braham, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braham
The surname Braham has its origins in England, and it is derived from the Old English words "brom" and "ham," which together mean "homestead by the broom plant." This name originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, when it was common for people to be identified by the location of their homestead or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Braham can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard de Bromham in Wiltshire. Additionally, the Domesday Book of 1086 mentions several places with similar names, like Bromham in Bedfordshire and Bromham in Wiltshire, suggesting that the name Braham likely emerged from these locations.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Braham was Sir John Braham, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. Another notable figure was John Braham, an English tenor and composer who lived from 1774 to 1856 and was renowned for his performances in operas and oratorios.
In the 16th century, there was a prominent family of Brahams in Lincolnshire, including William Braham, who was born in 1542 and served as a justice of the peace. The Braham family also had connections to the village of Braham in Yorkshire, which may have contributed to the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Another historical figure with the surname Braham was Algernon Braham, an English actor and playwright who lived from 1844 to 1916. He was known for his performances in London's West End theaters and for writing several successful plays.
It is worth noting that the surname Braham has also been associated with various place names, such as Bramham in Yorkshire, Bramham in Bedfordshire, and Bromham in Wiltshire, further reinforcing its connection to geographical locations and the Old English roots of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braham
Among Census respondents with the surname Braham, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Braham 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 Braham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.7% · 1,113
- Black or African American31.6% · 610
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 104
- Two or more races3.8% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braham
Braham 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
#11,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,680
+537 bearers (+25.1%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 1,398 places
2020
#14,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,930
-750 bearers (-28.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 3,073 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,092 | 2,143 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,694 | 2,680 | 0.91 | +537 bearers (+25.1%) | Up 1,398 places |
| 2020 | #14,767 | 1,930 | 0.65 | -750 bearers (-28.0%) | Down 3,073 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 Braham 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 | #11,694 | #14,767 | -26.3% |
| Count | 2,680 | 1,930 | -28.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.65 | -29.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braham bearers went from 2,680 to 1,930 (-28.0% change). The surname moved down 3,073 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,694 to #14,767.
FAQ
Braham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braham?
Name Census estimates that about 2,213 living Americans carry the surname Braham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,882 residents.
How common is Braham?
Braham ranks #14,767 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,930 people with the surname Braham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Braham.
Has Braham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braham went from 2,680 recorded bearers to 1,930. That is a decrease of 750 (-28.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,694 to #14,767.
What does the Census say about the background of Braham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braham, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Braham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.7% (1,113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.7%), Black (31.6%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Braham (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 Braham mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word for broom or bramble, referring to someone who lived near such plants. 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 Braham (0.65 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 common is the surname Braham?
Find out how many people have the surname Braham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.