2000
#44,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 458
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Brannick
A surname derived from a Gaelic personal name meaning "son of a raven" or "descendant of the raven".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 495 Americans carry the last name Brannick. That puts it at #51,968 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 692,433 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brannick 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 Brannick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
495
1 in 692,433
Census rank
#51,968
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
432
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 432 bearers of the surname Brannick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51968th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brannick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brannick
The surname Brannick is of Irish origin, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Connacht, located in the western part of Ireland. The name is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "brannach," which means "turbulent" or "quarrelsome." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a fierce or combative temperament.
The earliest recorded instances of the Brannick surname date back to the 16th century. In 1564, a document from County Mayo mentions a man named Dermot Brannick, who was involved in a land dispute. Another early reference can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, where a pardon was granted to a certain Teige Brannick in 1594.
During the 17th century, the Brannick surname appeared in various records from County Sligo and County Leitrim. One notable individual from this period was Patrick Brannick, a landowner from County Sligo who lived from 1620 to 1689. He was involved in several legal disputes over property rights during the tumultuous years of the Irish Confederate Wars and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
In the 18th century, the Brannick surname spread to other parts of Ireland, particularly in the counties of Roscommon and Galway. A prominent figure from this era was John Brannick (1725-1801), a wealthy merchant and landowner from County Roscommon. He was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a school for underprivileged children in his hometown.
As the 19th century dawned, the Brannick name continued to be found throughout the western counties of Ireland. One notable bearer of the surname was Michael Brannick (1810-1876), a politician and member of the Irish Nationalist movement. He served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Sligo from 1857 to 1865, advocating for Irish independence and land reform.
Another significant figure from the 19th century was Bridget Brannick (1835-1911), a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools for girls in County Galway and was actively involved in various social and educational organizations, working tirelessly to promote access to education for women in Ireland.
As for place names associated with the Brannick surname, there is a small village called Brannick in County Sligo, which may have been named after an early bearer of the name who resided in the area. Additionally, the townland of Brannickstown, located in County Galway, likely derived its name from the presence of Brannick families in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brannick
Among Census respondents with the surname Brannick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brannick 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 Brannick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 404
- Two or more races2.1% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 8
- Black or African American1.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brannick
Brannick 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
#44,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 481
+23 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 380 places
2020
#51,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 432
-49 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 7,315 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,273 | 458 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #44,653 | 481 | 0.16 | +23 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 380 places |
| 2020 | #51,968 | 432 | 0.14 | -49 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 7,315 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 Brannick 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 | #44,653 | #51,968 | -16.4% |
| Count | 481 | 432 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.14 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brannick bearers went from 481 to 432 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 7,315 positions in the national ranking, going from #44,653 to #51,968.
FAQ
Brannick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brannick?
Name Census estimates that about 495 living Americans carry the surname Brannick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 692,433 residents.
How common is Brannick?
Brannick ranks #51,968 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 432 people with the surname Brannick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (495), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Brannick.
Has Brannick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brannick went from 481 recorded bearers to 432. That is a decrease of 49 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #44,653 to #51,968.
What does the Census say about the background of Brannick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brannick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Brannick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (404 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brannick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Brannick (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 Brannick mean?
A surname derived from a Gaelic personal name meaning "son of a raven" or "descendant of the raven". 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 Brannick (0.14 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 Brannick?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.