2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Branstner
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Brantner" referring to a distiller or brewer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Branstner. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Branstner 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Branstner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Branstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Branstner
The surname BRANSTNER is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Brant," which means "burned" or "scorched," and may have initially referred to someone who lived near a burned or scorched area, or perhaps worked as a charcoal burner or in a related occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BRANSTNER surname can be found in the parish records of the town of Aachen, in what is now western Germany, from the year 1589. The name was spelled "Branstner" in these records, suggesting that this was likely the original spelling.
In the 17th century, the BRANSTNER name appears in various historical documents from the Rhineland region of Germany, including tax records and land deeds. This indicates that families with this surname were established in this area during this time period.
A notable early bearer of the BRANSTNER name was Hans Branstner, a blacksmith who lived in the town of Köln (Cologne) in the late 16th century. His son, Peter Branstner, born in 1598, was a respected clockmaker in the same city.
Another individual of historical significance was Johann Branstner, a Lutheran minister who served in the town of Heidelberg in the early 18th century. He was born in 1678 and is known for his influential sermons and writings on religious matters.
The BRANSTNER surname also appears in records from the Palatinate region of Germany, which was a major source of emigration to North America in the 18th century. Among the early settlers with this name was Johann Michael Branstner, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1749.
In the 19th century, notable BRANSTNER individuals included Friedrich Branstner, a German composer and organist born in 1835, and Karl Branstner, a prominent painter and artist born in 1858 in Munich.
While the BRANSTNER surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its German origins in the 16th and 17th centuries, with many early bearers of the name making contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Branstner
Among Census respondents with the surname Branstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Branstner 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 Branstner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 92
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Branstner
Branstner 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,464 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-11 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,464 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 8,962 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 Branstner 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 | #145,220 | #154,182 | -6.2% |
| Count | 114 | 103 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Branstner bearers went from 114 to 103 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 8,962 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #154,182.
FAQ
Branstner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Branstner?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Branstner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Branstner?
Branstner ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Branstner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Branstner.
Has Branstner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Branstner went from 114 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Branstner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Branstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) 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 Branstner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Branstner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (4.9%), 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 Branstner (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 Branstner mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Brantner" referring to a distiller or brewer. 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 Branstner (0.03 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 common is the surname Branstner?
Want to know how many people have the last name Branstner? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.