2000
#39,678
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 521
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Brandis
A surname derived from the German word "Brand," meaning an area of burned or cleared land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 625 Americans carry the last name Brandis. That puts it at #42,786 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 548,407 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brandis 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
625
1 in 548,407
Census rank
#42,786
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
545
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 545 bearers of the surname Brandis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 42786th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brandis, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (7.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brandis
The surname Brandis has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "brant," which means "burnt" or "burned," and is likely a reference to a person who lived near a clearing or burned area of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brandis can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to 1170. This document mentions a nobleman named Theodoricus de Brandis, which translates to Theodore of Brandis.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various chronicles and manuscripts, including the Annales Colbazrenses, which mentions a knight named Theodoricus de Brandis who participated in the Prussian Crusade in 1249.
The name Brandis is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Brandis in Saxony and Brandis in Brandenburg. These place names likely originated from the same root word, referring to areas that were cleared by burning.
One notable figure with the surname Brandis was Johannes Brandis (c. 1490-1558), a German humanist scholar and mathematician. He was born in Lübeck and taught at the University of Rostock, where he made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Christian August Brandis (1790-1867), a German philosopher and philologist. He was born in Hildesheim and served as the director of the University Library in Bonn, where he made important contributions to the study of ancient Greek philosophy.
In the 19th century, Carl Brandis (1801-1889), a German botanist and forester, played a significant role in the development of forestry in British India. He was born in Bonn and served as the Inspector General of Forests in India, where he helped establish many of the country's first forest reserves.
The surname Brandis has also been associated with notable figures in the arts, such as Hans Brandis (1920-1994), a German actor and theater director, and Marianne Brandis (1938-2022), a German actress and author known for her roles in various television shows and films.
Throughout its history, the surname Brandis has been found across various regions of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. While its origins can be traced back to the 12th century, the name continues to be prevalent and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brandis
Among Census respondents with the surname Brandis, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (7.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Brandis 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 Brandis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 447
- American Indian and Alaska Native7.7% · 42
- Two or more races5.3% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 13
- Black or African American1.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brandis
Brandis 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
#50,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 415
-106 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 10,684 places
2020
#42,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 545
+130 bearers (+31.3%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 7,576 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,678 | 521 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,362 | 415 | 0.14 | -106 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 10,684 places |
| 2020 | #42,786 | 545 | 0.18 | +130 bearers (+31.3%) | Up 7,576 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 Brandis 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 | #50,362 | #42,786 | 15.0% |
| Count | 415 | 545 | 31.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.18 | 30.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brandis bearers went from 415 to 545 (+31.3% change). The surname moved up 7,576 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,362 to #42,786.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brandis
FAQ
Brandis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brandis?
Name Census estimates that about 625 living Americans carry the surname Brandis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 548,407 residents.
How common is Brandis?
Brandis ranks #42,786 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 545 people with the surname Brandis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (625), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Brandis.
Has Brandis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brandis went from 415 recorded bearers to 545. That is an increase of 130 (+31.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #50,362 to #42,786.
What does the Census say about the background of Brandis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brandis, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (7.7%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Brandis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brandis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (7.7%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Brandis (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 Brandis mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Brand," meaning an area of burned or cleared land. 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 Brandis (0.18 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 Brandis?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Brandis at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.