2000
#10,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Branstetter
An occupational surname referring to someone who braids nets or snares, derived from the German word "brandstifter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,800 Americans carry the last name Branstetter. That puts it at #12,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Branstetter 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
2.8K
1 in 122,412
Census rank
#12,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,442 bearers of the surname Branstetter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Branstetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Branstetter
The surname Branstetter originates from Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German words "brand" meaning "burn" or "fire" and "stetter" meaning "place." This suggests the name may have originated from a place or region where burning or fires occurred, possibly related to forestry or charcoal production.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Branstetter name can be found in the church records of the town of Nürnberg, Bavaria, in the late 1500s. The name appeared in various spellings such as "Brantstetter," "Brandtstetter," and "Brandstetter" during this time period.
In the 17th century, the Branstetter family spread to other regions of Germany, including Saxony and Württemberg. Some notable individuals with this surname include Johann Georg Branstetter (1671-1728), a German theologian and philosopher, and Johann Samuel Branstetter (1738-1796), a German philologist and linguist.
As the Branstetter family continued to grow and migrate, they eventually made their way to other parts of Europe and the Americas. In the 18th century, Michael Branstetter (1720-1790), a German immigrant, settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent farmer and landowner.
Another notable figure was Heinrich Branstetter (1845-1921), a German-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1895 to 1897.
In the 19th century, the Branstetter name also appeared in various parts of Switzerland, with records indicating families living in the cantons of Bern and Solothurn.
One of the earliest known Branstetter families in the United States can be traced back to Johann Georg Branstetter (1765-1843), who immigrated from Germany to Virginia in the late 18th century and later settled in Ohio.
Throughout history, the Branstetter surname has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, academia, theology, and politics. While the name's origins may be rooted in a specific geographic location or occupation, the Branstetter family has since spread across the globe, leaving their mark in various fields and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Branstetter
Among Census respondents with the surname Branstetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Branstetter 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 Branstetter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 2,207
- Two or more races4.8% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Branstetter
Branstetter 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
#10,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,898
+87 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 499 places
2020
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,442
-456 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,478 | 2,811 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,977 | 2,898 | 0.98 | +87 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 499 places |
| 2020 | #12,175 | 2,442 | 0.82 | -456 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 1,198 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 Branstetter 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 | #10,977 | #12,175 | -10.9% |
| Count | 2,898 | 2,442 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.82 | -16.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Branstetter bearers went from 2,898 to 2,442 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 1,198 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,977 to #12,175.
FAQ
Branstetter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Branstetter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,800 living Americans carry the surname Branstetter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,412 residents.
How common is Branstetter?
Branstetter ranks #12,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,442 people with the surname Branstetter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Branstetter.
Has Branstetter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Branstetter went from 2,898 recorded bearers to 2,442. That is a decrease of 456 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,977 to #12,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Branstetter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Branstetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Branstetter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (2,207 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Branstetter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Branstetter (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 Branstetter mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who braids nets or snares, derived from the German word "brandstifter." 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 Branstetter (0.82 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 have the surname Branstetter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.