Find out how popular the last name Brandenburg is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brandenburg.

Brandenburg, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brandenburg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brandenburg in America

Brandenburg is the 3691st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brandenburg surname appeared 9,624 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Brandenburg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brandenburg to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brandenburg

The surname Brandenburg originates from the German state of Brandenburg, located in the northeastern part of the country. The name is derived from the Slavic word "Brennabor," meaning "burned village" or "burned land," referring to the practice of clearing land for cultivation by burning vegetation.

The earliest recorded instances of the Brandenburg surname can be traced back to the 12th century, when the Margraviate of Brandenburg was established as a frontier territory of the Holy Roman Empire. During this period, the name was primarily associated with nobles and landowners who held titles and properties within the region.

One of the earliest and most notable bearers of the Brandenburg surname was Albert the Bear (c. 1100-1170), the first Margrave of Brandenburg. He played a significant role in the Germanization of the Slavic territories east of the Elbe River and is considered the founder of the Ascanian dynasty, which ruled over Brandenburg for nearly two centuries.

Another prominent figure with the Brandenburg surname was Margrave John I of Brandenburg (1213-1266), also known as John I the Troubadour. He was a renowned patron of the arts and a skilled poet, contributing to the flourishing of courtly love literature during the Middle Ages.

During the 16th century, the Brandenburg name gained further prominence with the rise of the House of Hohenzollern, which ruled over Brandenburg-Prussia and later the Kingdom of Prussia. Notable figures from this dynasty include Elector Frederick William (1620-1688), known as the Great Elector, and King Frederick II (1712-1786), also called Frederick the Great, who significantly expanded Prussian territories and influenced the Enlightenment in Europe.

The Brandenburg surname also appears in various historical documents and records from the Middle Ages onwards, including the Matriculation Roll of the University of Rostock, which dates back to the 15th century, and the chronicles of the Teutonic Knights, who played a significant role in the Christianization and colonization of the Baltic region.

Other notable individuals bearing the Brandenburg surname include the German philosopher Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), the American actress Anson Burlingame (1804-1870), and the British historian and author Francis Brandenburg (1914-2012).

While the Brandenburg surname is primarily associated with German and Prussian nobility and landowners, it has also been adopted by individuals from other regions and backgrounds, reflecting the various historical and cultural influences that have shaped its evolution over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brandenburg

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brandenburg.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brandenburg was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brandenburg has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brandenburg was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brandenburg, please contact us.

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