2000
#1,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.49
Uncommon Last name
Brandon
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "hill covered with broom" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,505 Americans carry the last name Brandon. That puts it at #1,448 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brandon 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 Brandon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,462
Census rank
#1,448
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,986 bearers of the surname Brandon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1448th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brandon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brandon
The surname Brandon originated in England in the medieval period. It derives from the Old English word "brun" meaning brown or dark complexioned, and the suffix "-dun" meaning hill. The name Brandon therefore refers to a person who lived by a brown or dark-colored hill.
The earliest known record of the Brandon surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brendon" and "Brantone". This suggests the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
In the 12th century, records show variations like "Braundone" and "Braundon". These likely refer to places like Brandon in Suffolk, Brandon in Warwickshire, and other locations called Brandon across England. Many people adopted the place name as their surname.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Brandon name was Sir William Brandon (c.1425-1491), a soldier and courtier during the Wars of the Roses. He fought for the House of York and later served under Henry VII.
Another notable figure was Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk (c.1484-1545). He was a close friend of Henry VIII and married his sister Mary Tudor in 1515 after the death of her first husband Louis XII of France.
In the arts, Raphael Brandon (1909-1983) was an English painter and etcher known for his landscapes and portraits. He studied at the Slade School of Art in London.
Geoffrey Brandon (1909-1998) was a 20th century English historian and archaeologist specializing in ancient religions and symbolism. He authored many books on ancient cultures.
Samuel Musgrave Brandon (1907-1971) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Hampshire County Cricket Club in the 1930s as a right-handed batsman.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brandon
Among Census respondents with the surname Brandon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brandon 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 Brandon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.1% · 14,425
- Black or African American29.3% · 7,017
- Two or more races4.9% · 1,184
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 1,075
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 142
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brandon
Brandon 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
#1,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,284
+684 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 8.91
Rank movement Down 82 places
2020
#1,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,986
-2,298 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 8.02
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,260 | 25,600 | 9.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,342 | 26,284 | 8.91 | +684 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 82 places |
| 2020 | #1,448 | 23,986 | 8.02 | -2,298 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 106 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 Brandon 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 | #1,342 | #1,448 | -7.9% |
| Count | 26,284 | 23,986 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.91 | 8.02 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brandon bearers went from 26,284 to 23,986 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,342 to #1,448.
FAQ
Brandon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brandon?
Name Census estimates that about 27,505 living Americans carry the surname Brandon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,462 residents.
How common is Brandon?
Brandon ranks #1,448 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,986 people with the surname Brandon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,505), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Brandon.
Has Brandon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brandon went from 26,284 recorded bearers to 23,986. That is a decrease of 2,298 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,342 to #1,448.
What does the Census say about the background of Brandon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brandon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.3%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Brandon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (14,425 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brandon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.1%), Black (29.3%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Brandon (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 Brandon mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "hill covered with broom" in Old English. 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 Brandon (8.02 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 Americans have the surname Brandon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.