2000
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Brashears
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brassieres or brass goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,281 Americans carry the last name Brashears. That puts it at #14,444 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brashears 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
2.3K
1 in 150,265
Census rank
#14,444
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,989 bearers of the surname Brashears in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14444th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brashears, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brashears
The surname Brashears has its origins in England, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bræsc" and "hæran," meaning "brush" and "hare," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in an area known for its abundance of brush and hares.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Brashears can be found in various parish records and tax rolls from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was John Brashears, who was born in the village of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in 1587.
In the 17th century, the name Brashears began to appear in other parts of England, such as Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. It is possible that the surname was also influenced by the place name "Brashfield," a small hamlet located in Warwickshire.
One notable individual with the surname Brashears was William Brashears, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Bristol in the late 17th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the thriving maritime trade of the time and owned several properties in the city.
During the 18th century, the Brashears surname continued to spread across England, with families bearing the name settling in various counties, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Dorset. In 1765, a man named Thomas Brashears was recorded as serving in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
As the 19th century dawned, the Brashears surname gained further recognition with the birth of John Brashears Jr. in 1840. He became a renowned astronomer and lens maker, contributing significantly to the field of optics and telescope design. His work was highly regarded by his contemporaries, and he received several awards and honors during his lifetime.
Another notable figure with the Brashears surname was Mary Brashears, a writer and activist born in 1865. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and suffrage, publishing numerous articles and essays on the subject. Her contributions to the feminist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were widely recognized.
Throughout history, the surname Brashears has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, soldiers, scientists, and writers. While its origins can be traced back to rural England, the name has since spread across the globe, carried by families and individuals who have left their mark on various aspects of society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brashears
Among Census respondents with the surname Brashears, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Brashears 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 Brashears surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 1,648
- Black or African American8.8% · 175
- Two or more races5.1% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brashears
Brashears 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
#13,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,155
+76 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 556 places
2020
#14,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,989
-166 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,429 | 2,079 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,985 | 2,155 | 0.73 | +76 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 556 places |
| 2020 | #14,444 | 1,989 | 0.67 | -166 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 459 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 Brashears 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 | #13,985 | #14,444 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,155 | 1,989 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.67 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brashears bearers went from 2,155 to 1,989 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 459 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,985 to #14,444.
FAQ
Brashears surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brashears?
Name Census estimates that about 2,281 living Americans carry the surname Brashears. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,265 residents.
How common is Brashears?
Brashears ranks #14,444 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,989 people with the surname Brashears. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Brashears.
Has Brashears become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brashears went from 2,155 recorded bearers to 1,989. That is a decrease of 166 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,985 to #14,444.
What does the Census say about the background of Brashears?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brashears, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Brashears in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (1,648 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brashears appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (8.8%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Brashears (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 Brashears mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brassieres or brass goods. 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 Brashears (0.67 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 Brashears?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Brashears on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.