2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brashares
A French surname derived from the word "brêche," meaning a gap or breach.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 147 Americans carry the last name Brashares. That puts it at #136,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,331,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brashares 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
147
1 in 2,331,662
Census rank
#136,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
128
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 128 bearers of the surname Brashares in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brashares, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brashares
The surname BRASHARES is of English origin, traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bræs" meaning brass and "ær" meaning a place or location, suggesting it may have originally referred to someone who lived near a brass foundry or workshop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, dated 1583, where a Thomas Brashares is mentioned as a witness to a christening. This suggests the name was present in the Warwickshire region during the Elizabethan era.
Another notable early reference is found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1673, which list a Robert Brashares as a landowner in the village of Clavering, Essex. This indicates the name had spread to other parts of England by the late 17th century.
The surname is also recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, although the spelling is slightly different, appearing as "Brasher." This entry refers to a landowner in the county of Norfolk, suggesting the name's roots may extend back to the Norman Conquest.
Among the notable individuals bearing this surname throughout history are:
1. John Brashares (c. 1620-1692), an English merchant and landowner who established a successful trading company in the West Indies.
2. Elizabeth Brashares (1745-1812), a renowned English author and poet, whose works were widely read during the Romantic period.
3. Sir William Brashares (1785-1868), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
4. George Brashares (1832-1901), an American inventor and industrialist, known for developing several innovations in the textile industry.
5. Anna Brashares (1892-1979), a British suffragette and activist, who campaigned tirelessly for women's rights and social reforms.
While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration. However, the earliest documented instances and historical references highlight its long-standing presence in various regions of England dating back several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brashares
Among Census respondents with the surname Brashares, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brashares 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 Brashares surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 117
- Two or more races4.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brashares
Brashares 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+7 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,445 places
2020
#136,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+8 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 2,445 places |
| 2020 | #136,082 | 128 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 3,146 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 Brashares 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 | #139,228 | #136,082 | 2.3% |
| Count | 120 | 128 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brashares bearers went from 120 to 128 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 3,146 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #136,082.
FAQ
Brashares surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brashares?
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the surname Brashares. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,331,662 residents.
How common is Brashares?
Brashares ranks #136,082 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 128 people with the surname Brashares. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (147), 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 Brashares.
Has Brashares become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brashares went from 120 recorded bearers to 128. That is an increase of 8 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #139,228 to #136,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Brashares?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brashares, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Brashares in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brashares appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Brashares (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 Brashares mean?
A French surname derived from the word "brêche," meaning a gap or breach. 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 Brashares (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 have the last name Brashares?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Brashares on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.