Find out how popular the last name Brake is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brake.

Brake, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brake surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brake in America

Brake is the 5591st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brake surname appeared 6,220 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Brake.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brake to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brake

The surname Brake originated in England, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from various place names in England containing the Old English word "bræc," meaning a newly cultivated piece of land or a clearing. Some of the areas where the name was initially found include Sussex, Hampshire, and Wiltshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brake can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dating back to 1273, where it is listed as "Richard de la Brake." The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, with the spelling "Robertus atte Brake."

The Domesday Book, a major land and property survey compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror, does not appear to contain any direct references to the surname Brake. However, it does mention several places with names containing the word "bræc," such as Brochamton (Brockampton) in Worcestershire and Brachingham (Brackingham) in Norfolk.

Notable individuals with the surname Brake throughout history include:

1. Sir Walter Brake (c. 1470 - 1534), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Guildford in 1529.
2. Thomas Brake (c. 1597 - 1663), an English clergyman and puritan writer, known for his work "The Spirituall Warfare" published in 1638.
3. John Brake (1768 - 1859), an English inventor and engineer credited with the development of the early railway brake system.
4. George Brake (1828 - 1909), an English-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
5. Robert Brake (1907 - 1988), an American actor and singer, best known for his roles in Broadway musicals and films during the 1930s and 1940s.

The surname Brake has also been associated with various place names and their older spellings, such as Brake Farm in Hampshire, which was formerly known as "La Brake" in the 13th century, and Brake Hill in Dorset, recorded as "Brakehull" in the 13th century records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brake

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brake.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brake was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brake has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brake was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brake, please contact us.

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