2000
#6,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,710
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Brammer
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brass or brass goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,950 Americans carry the last name Brammer. That puts it at #7,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,243 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brammer 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 Brammer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,243
Census rank
#7,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,317 bearers of the surname Brammer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brammer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brammer
The surname Brammer is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have originated in England. It is derived from the Old English word "bremere," which means "a bramble-covered area or thicket." The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in an area covered with brambles or thorny bushes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brammer dates back to the 13th century in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire, where it was spelled "Bromere." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been associated with a place name, possibly referring to a location known for its abundance of brambles.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various records with different spellings, such as "Bromer," "Bromor," and "Brammer." These variations were common during that time due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
The Brammer surname has been documented in several historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Bremere" in the county of Hertfordshire. This early reference suggests that the name had already been established in certain parts of England by the late 11th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Brammer throughout history include:
1. John Brammer (1501-1561), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Andover during the reign of Queen Mary I.
2. William Brammer (1617-1692), a prominent landowner and Justice of the Peace in Wiltshire, England.
3. Sarah Brammer (1720-1798), a British Quaker minister and author who wrote several influential religious works.
4. Johann Brammer (1768-1842), a German-born American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
5. Charles Brammer (1889-1965), an Australian cricketer who played for the New South Wales and Australian national teams in the early 20th century.
The Brammer surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Brammerton and Brammerton Grange in Northumberland, England, which may have derived from the name or vice versa.
While the exact origins of the Brammer surname remain somewhat uncertain, its connection to the Old English word "bremere" and its early documented appearances in historical records suggest a long-standing presence in England, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brammer
Among Census respondents with the surname Brammer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Brammer 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 Brammer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 3,846
- Two or more races3.9% · 169
- Black or African American3.0% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brammer
Brammer 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
#6,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,830
+120 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 317 places
2020
#7,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,317
-513 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 503 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,626 | 4,710 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,943 | 4,830 | 1.64 | +120 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 317 places |
| 2020 | #7,446 | 4,317 | 1.44 | -513 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 503 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 Brammer 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 | #6,943 | #7,446 | -7.2% |
| Count | 4,830 | 4,317 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.44 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brammer bearers went from 4,830 to 4,317 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 503 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,943 to #7,446.
FAQ
Brammer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brammer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,950 living Americans carry the surname Brammer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,243 residents.
How common is Brammer?
Brammer ranks #7,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,317 people with the surname Brammer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,950), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Brammer.
Has Brammer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brammer went from 4,830 recorded bearers to 4,317. That is a decrease of 513 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,943 to #7,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Brammer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brammer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (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 Brammer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (3,846 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brammer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Black (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 Brammer (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 Brammer mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brass or brass goods. 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 Brammer (1.44 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 share the surname Brammer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.