2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brakeall
A surname possibly derived from an occupational name referring to a brake or lever operator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Brakeall. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brakeall 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Brakeall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brakeall, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brakeall
The surname BRAKEALL originated in England during the late medieval period, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the Old English words "bracan" meaning to break and "ealra" meaning of all, suggesting a potential occupation or descriptive name for someone who broke things or was particularly destructive.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1384, where a John Brakeall is mentioned as a taxpayer. The name also appears in various parish records and manorial court rolls across southern England during the 15th and 16th centuries, often with variations in spelling such as Brakall, Brakealle, and Brakeawl.
In the 16th century, a William Brakeall (c. 1520-1592) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. His family's coat of arms, featuring a broken wheel, further hints at the occupational origins of the surname.
During the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, a Captain Robert Brakeall (c. 1615-1678) served in the Parliamentarian army and was noted for his bravery in several battles against Royalist forces.
The Brakeall name also has a connection to the village of Brakenhall in Warwickshire, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname. In the late 18th century, a wealthy banker named Thomas Brakeall (1743-1816) was instrumental in funding the construction of a new church in the village.
Another notable figure was Sir George Brakeall (1801-1885), a British diplomat who served as ambassador to several European countries during the 19th century and played a role in the negotiations leading up to the Congress of Berlin in 1878.
While the BRAKEALL surname was never particularly widespread, it has persisted throughout history and can be found in various records and accounts across England, reflecting the country's rich and diverse heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brakeall
Among Census respondents with the surname Brakeall, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brakeall 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 Brakeall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brakeall
Brakeall 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+16 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,894 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-13 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 5,894 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 13,358 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 Brakeall 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 | #133,863 | #147,221 | -10.0% |
| Count | 126 | 113 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brakeall bearers went from 126 to 113 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 13,358 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #147,221.
FAQ
Brakeall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brakeall?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Brakeall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Brakeall?
Brakeall ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Brakeall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Brakeall.
Has Brakeall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brakeall went from 126 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Brakeall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brakeall, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Brakeall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brakeall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Brakeall (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 Brakeall mean?
A surname possibly derived from an occupational name referring to a brake or lever operator. 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 Brakeall (0.04 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 Brakeall?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.