2000
#11,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,455
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Braman
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold horse tackle, such as bridles and reins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,741 Americans carry the last name Braman. That puts it at #12,407 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,047 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braman 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 Braman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,047
Census rank
#12,407
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,390 bearers of the surname Braman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12407th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braman
The surname Braman originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "brom," meaning a bramble bush, and "mann," meaning a man or person. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or was associated with bramble bushes.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name Braman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1196, where it appears as "Ralph Bromeman." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, which mentions "John Bromman."
During the medieval period, the name Braman was predominantly found in the counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire in the West Midlands region of England. It is possible that the name originated from a place name containing the word "brom," such as Bromborough in Cheshire or Bromley in Kent.
One notable historical figure with the surname Braman was John Braman, a prominent merchant and Member of Parliament for Preston in Lancashire, who lived from 1549 to 1623. Another was Thomas Braman, a Puritan minister and author who emigrated from England to Boston, Massachusetts in the early 17th century.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Bremman, Bromman, and Bromeman, before settling on the modern form of Braman. During this time, the name was also found in other parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Other notable individuals with the surname Braman include Benjamin Braman (1588-1662), a Puritan settler in Massachusetts, and Wyllys Braman (1775-1858), a prominent lawyer and judge in New York State. William Braman (1774-1863) was a successful merchant and philanthropist in Boston, while Ebenezer Braman (1793-1869) was a minister and abolitionist in New Hampshire.
While the surname Braman is not as common today as it once was in England, it can still be found in various parts of the United Kingdom and in countries with significant British ancestry, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braman
Among Census respondents with the surname Braman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Braman 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 Braman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,175
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 78
- Two or more races3.0% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 27
- Black or African American0.9% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braman
Braman 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
#12,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,539
+84 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 545 places
2020
#12,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,390
-149 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,705 | 2,455 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,250 | 2,539 | 0.86 | +84 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 545 places |
| 2020 | #12,407 | 2,390 | 0.80 | -149 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 157 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 Braman 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 | #12,250 | #12,407 | -1.3% |
| Count | 2,539 | 2,390 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.80 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braman bearers went from 2,539 to 2,390 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,250 to #12,407.
FAQ
Braman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,741 living Americans carry the surname Braman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,047 residents.
How common is Braman?
Braman ranks #12,407 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,390 people with the surname Braman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,741), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Braman.
Has Braman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braman went from 2,539 recorded bearers to 2,390. That is a decrease of 149 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,250 to #12,407.
What does the Census say about the background of Braman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Braman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Braman (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 Braman mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold horse tackle, such as bridles and reins. 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 Braman (0.80 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 people are called Braman?
Find out how many people are called Braman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.