2000
#5,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,764
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Rare Last name
Brake
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bridles, saddles, and other horse equipment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,520 Americans carry the last name Brake. That puts it at #5,855 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,570 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brake 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 Brake with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,570
Census rank
#5,855
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,686 bearers of the surname Brake in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5855th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brake, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brake
Among Census respondents with the surname Brake, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brake 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 Brake surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 4,839
- Black or African American6.1% · 346
- Two or more races4.2% · 240
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 197
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brake
Brake 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
#5,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,220
+456 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#5,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,686
-534 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,541 | 5,764 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,591 | 6,220 | 2.11 | +456 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #5,855 | 5,686 | 1.90 | -534 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 264 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 Brake 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 | #5,591 | #5,855 | -4.7% |
| Count | 6,220 | 5,686 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 1.90 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brake bearers went from 6,220 to 5,686 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 264 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,591 to #5,855.
FAQ
Brake surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brake?
Name Census estimates that about 6,520 living Americans carry the surname Brake. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,570 residents.
How common is Brake?
Brake ranks #5,855 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,686 people with the surname Brake. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,520), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Brake.
Has Brake become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brake went from 6,220 recorded bearers to 5,686. That is a decrease of 534 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,591 to #5,855.
What does the Census say about the background of Brake?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brake, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Brake in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (4,839 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brake appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Black (6.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Brake (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 Brake mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bridles, saddles, and other horse equipment. 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 Brake (1.90 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 Brake?
Find out how many people have the surname Brake on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.