2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Branston
A locational surname derived from the parish of Branston in Leicestershire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Branston. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Branston 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 Branston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Branston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Branston, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Black (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Branston
The surname Branston is of English origin, deriving from the place name Branston, which can be found in several locations across England, including Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Staffordshire. The name is believed to have originated in the early Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Branston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Branteston" in reference to a settlement in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name may have its roots in Old English, possibly derived from the words "bran" (meaning "broom") and "tun" (meaning "farm" or "settlement").
During the medieval period, the name Branston was primarily concentrated in the Midlands region of England, particularly in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. In the 14th century, a prominent figure named William Branston was recorded as a landowner in the village of Branston, near Grantham, Lincolnshire.
By the 16th century, the surname had spread to other parts of England, including London. One notable individual from this era was John Branston (c. 1560-1620), a merchant and alderman of the City of London. He was also known for his involvement in the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America.
In the 18th century, another prominent figure bearing the name Branston was Henry Branston (1712-1784), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
Moving into the 19th century, William Branston (1786-1857) was a successful manufacturer of pottery and bricks in the town of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire. His company, Branston & Co., played a significant role in the development of the local pottery industry.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Branston was Charles Branston (1846-1928), a British painter and illustrator who was known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes in England. Many of his works can be found in museums and galleries across the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Branston
Among Census respondents with the surname Branston, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Black (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Branston 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 Branston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 10
- Black or African American8.0% · 9
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Branston
Branston 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,416 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,416 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 32 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 Branston 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 | #147,253 | #147,221 | 0.0% |
| Count | 112 | 113 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Branston bearers went from 112 to 113 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,221.
FAQ
Branston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Branston?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Branston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Branston?
Branston ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Branston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Branston.
Has Branston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Branston went from 112 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Branston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Branston, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Black (8.0%). 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 Branston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Branston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Hispanic (8.8%), Black (8.0%). 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 Branston (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 Branston mean?
A locational surname derived from the parish of Branston in Leicestershire, England. 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 Branston (0.04 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 are called Branston?
Want to know how common the surname Branston is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.