Find out how popular the last name Brands is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brands.
A surname that likely refers to someone who lived near burned or cleared lands.
Brands, 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 Brands surname is from the 2010 census data.
Brands is the 24961st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Brands surname appeared 996 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Brands.
We can also compare 2010 data for Brands 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 24961 | 22723 | 9.39% |
| Count | 996 | 1,055 | -5.75% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.34 | 0.39 | -13.70% |
The surname Brands originated in the Netherlands, where it first appeared in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "brand," which means "fire" or "burning." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name referring to someone who worked with fire, such as a blacksmith or a charcoal burner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brands can be found in the Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland, a collection of historical documents from the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. In this book, a man named Willelmus Brands is mentioned in a document dated 1294.
The Brands surname was particularly common in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland, as well as in the neighboring province of Utrecht. It is possible that some early bearers of the name lived in or near places with names like Brandenburg or Brandwijk, which may have influenced the development of the surname.
In the 16th century, a notable individual with the surname Brands was Joachim Brands (c. 1500-1564), a Dutch Protestant reformer and theologian. He played a significant role in the spread of Calvinism in the Netherlands.
Another historical figure with this surname was Johan Brands (1673-1745), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and landscapes. He was born in Zaltbommel and spent most of his career in Amsterdam.
In the 19th century, Willem Brands (1809-1892) was a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice and Vice President of the Council of State in the Netherlands.
Moving into the 20th century, Bas Brands (1911-1990) was a Dutch composer and conductor who is particularly known for his work in film music and ballets.
Another notable figure with the surname Brands is Wilbert Brands (born 1956), a Dutch politician who served as a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2019, representing the Christian Democratic Appeal party.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brands.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brands was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 90.46% | 901 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 1.10% | 11 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.41% | 14 |
| Hispanic Origin | 5.72% | 57 |
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 Brands has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.46% | 92.99% | -2.76% |
| Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.10% | 0.47% | 80.25% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | 1.41% | 1.14% | 21.18% |
| Hispanic | 5.72% | 4.74% | 18.74% |
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 Brands was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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