2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brantman
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bran or coarse flour.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Brantman. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brantman 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Brantman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brantman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brantman
The surname Brantman has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon regions of England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "brant" and "mann," which together translate to "steep man" or "man from the steep hill." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname given to someone who lived on or near a steep hill or incline.
The earliest recorded instances of the Brantman surname can be traced back to the 13th century. In 1273, a Robert Brantman was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, an ancient record of landowners and tenants. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a William Brantman is mentioned.
During the medieval period, the Brantman surname appeared in various spellings, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping and spelling conventions of the time. Some of these variations include Branteman, Brantemann, Brantman, and Brantmon.
One notable bearer of the Brantman name was Sir John Brantman (c. 1450-1520), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset. He was known for his philanthropic contributions, particularly his endowment of the Brantman Almshouses in Taunton, which provided housing for the poor.
In the 16th century, the Brantman family had established a presence in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, Worcestershire, and Somerset. Thomas Brantman (1525-1593), a prominent clergyman and author, was born in Lincolnshire and served as the Rector of Barton-upon-Humber.
The Brantman surname also has connections to place names in England. For instance, the village of Brantingham in East Riding of Yorkshire may have derived its name from the Old English words "brant" and "inga," meaning "the people of the steep hill."
Another noteworthy figure was Elizabeth Brantman (1670-1745), a renowned Quaker minister and writer from Westmorland. Her published works, which include religious treatises and personal accounts, provide valuable insights into the Quaker faith and society of that era.
In the 18th century, John Brantman (1710-1785) was a prominent architect and surveyor from Gloucestershire. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Church of St. John the Baptist in Cirencester.
As the Brantman family spread across England and beyond, the surname continued to evolve and adapt to local dialects and spelling conventions, further diversifying its variants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brantman
Among Census respondents with the surname Brantman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brantman 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 Brantman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino11.8% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brantman
Brantman 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,441 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 4,441 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Brantman 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brantman bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Brantman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brantman?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Brantman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Brantman?
Brantman ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Brantman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Brantman.
Has Brantman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brantman went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Brantman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brantman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Brantman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brantman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Hispanic (11.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Brantman (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 Brantman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bran or coarse flour. 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 Brantman (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 many people are called Brantman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Brantman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.