2000
#8,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,815
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Braley
Derived from a place name meaning "clearing or wood of broom," a shrub once used for making brooms.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,183 Americans carry the last name Braley. That puts it at #8,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,940 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braley 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 Braley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,940
Census rank
#8,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,648 bearers of the surname Braley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braley
The surname Braley is of English origin, derived from a place name in the county of Buckinghamshire. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, with the earliest known spelling recorded as "de Bradelai" in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1195.
The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "brad" and "leah," which together mean "broad meadow" or "broad clearing." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a broad meadow or clearing in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1275, which mentions a "Robertus de Bradelay." This document provides valuable insight into the early use and spelling variations of the surname.
During the Middle Ages, the Braley surname appeared in various records and documents across England. For example, in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, a "Willelmus de Bradelay" is mentioned, indicating the spread of the name beyond Buckinghamshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Braley include Sir John Braley (c. 1480-1548), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. Another notable figure was William Braley (1590-1662), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Taunton, Massachusetts, in the early American colonies.
In the 17th century, the surname appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with individuals such as Thomas Braley (c. 1620-1686), who settled in Barnstable, Massachusetts, and became a prominent figure in the local community.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Braley surname continued to be found across various parts of England and the United States. Notable individuals from this period include John Braley (1745-1818), an American Revolutionary War soldier, and James Braley (1794-1880), a Methodist minister and author from England.
Throughout its history, the Braley surname has maintained its connection to its English roots, with various spelling variations emerging over time, including Bradelay, Bradeley, and Bradly, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braley
Among Census respondents with the surname Braley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Braley 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 Braley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,328
- Two or more races4.1% · 149
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 72
- Black or African American1.4% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braley
Braley 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
#8,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,924
+109 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 404 places
2020
#8,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,648
-276 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 209 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,019 | 3,815 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,423 | 3,924 | 1.33 | +109 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 404 places |
| 2020 | #8,632 | 3,648 | 1.22 | -276 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 209 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 Braley 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 | #8,423 | #8,632 | -2.5% |
| Count | 3,924 | 3,648 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.22 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braley bearers went from 3,924 to 3,648 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 209 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,423 to #8,632.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Braley
FAQ
Braley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braley?
Name Census estimates that about 4,183 living Americans carry the surname Braley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,940 residents.
How common is Braley?
Braley ranks #8,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,648 people with the surname Braley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,183), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Braley.
Has Braley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braley went from 3,924 recorded bearers to 3,648. That is a decrease of 276 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,423 to #8,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Braley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braley, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Braley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,328 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Braley (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 Braley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "clearing or wood of broom," a shrub once used for making brooms. 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 Braley (1.22 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 Braley?
See how many people have the surname Braley on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.