2000
#2,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,640
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.80
Uncommon Last name
Brannon
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Braonáin," meaning "descendant of Braonán," a personal name meaning "sorrow" or "sadness."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,614 Americans carry the last name Brannon. That puts it at #2,315 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brannon 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 Brannon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,459
Census rank
#2,315
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,360 bearers of the surname Brannon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2315th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brannon
The surname Brannon is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic personal name "Bran" or "Brann," which means "raven." This name can be traced back to the early medieval period in Ireland, where it was initially used as a given name.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Brannon can be found in historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries in various Irish counties, such as Armagh, Tyrone, and Fermanagh. During this period, the name was often spelled as "Brannaghan," "Brannaghyn," or "Branaughan," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common at the time.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Brannon was Patrick Brannagh, a Catholic priest and scholar who lived in the late 16th century. He was known for his writings on Irish history and culture, including a work titled "The Description of Ireland."
In the 17th century, the name Brannon appeared in various records related to the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and the subsequent Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Some individuals with this surname were involved in the conflict, either as soldiers or supporters of the Irish Confederacy.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Brannon spread beyond Ireland, with many families emigrating to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the United States and other countries. Some notable individuals with this surname include:
1. John Brannon (1844-1921), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from North Carolina.
2. Rachel Brannon (born 1945), an American actress and author known for her work in television and film.
3. William Brannon (1841-1918), a Confederate soldier and farmer from Virginia who served in the American Civil War.
4. Siobhan Brannon (born 1977), an Irish actress and television presenter known for her work on Irish and British television.
5. Michael Brannon (born 1962), an American businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the technology company Verizon Wireless.
The surname Brannon has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Ireland, where towns and villages such as Brannockstown and Brannonstown bear similarities to the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brannon
Among Census respondents with the surname Brannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Brannon 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 Brannon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.8% · 11,637
- Black or African American15.0% · 2,310
- Two or more races5.0% · 762
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 445
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brannon
Brannon 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
#2,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,136
+496 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.47
Rank movement Down 126 places
2020
#2,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,360
-776 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 5.14
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,127 | 15,640 | 5.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,253 | 16,136 | 5.47 | +496 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 126 places |
| 2020 | #2,315 | 15,360 | 5.14 | -776 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 62 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 Brannon 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 | #2,253 | #2,315 | -2.8% |
| Count | 16,136 | 15,360 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.47 | 5.14 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brannon bearers went from 16,136 to 15,360 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,253 to #2,315.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brannon
FAQ
Brannon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brannon?
Name Census estimates that about 17,614 living Americans carry the surname Brannon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,459 residents.
How common is Brannon?
Brannon ranks #2,315 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,360 people with the surname Brannon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,614), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Brannon.
Has Brannon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brannon went from 16,136 recorded bearers to 15,360. That is a decrease of 776 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,253 to #2,315.
What does the Census say about the background of Brannon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Brannon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.8% (11,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brannon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.8%), Black (15.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Brannon (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 Brannon mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Braonáin," meaning "descendant of Braonán," a personal name meaning "sorrow" or "sadness." 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 Brannon (5.14 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 Americans have the surname Brannon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.