2000
#5,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,337
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Brasher
An English occupational surname referring to a worker who made brass or brass armor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,892 Americans carry the last name Brasher. That puts it at #5,582 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,732 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brasher 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 Brasher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,732
Census rank
#5,582
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,010 bearers of the surname Brasher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5582nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brasher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brasher
The surname BRASHER is of English origin, and it is believed to have first emerged in the 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old French word "brasseur," which means "brewer," or the Old English word "braes," meaning "brass."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BRASHER can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk, England, from the year 1327, where a John Brasher is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1332, which lists a Richard Brasher.
The name BRASHER is also associated with various place names in England, such as Brasher Manor in Suffolk and Brasher Farm in Wiltshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or been named after individuals bearing the BRASHER name.
One notable individual with the BRASHER surname was Ephraim Brasher (1744-1810), a wealthy merchant and goldsmith from New York City during the American Revolutionary War era. He is best known for creating the Brasher Doubloon, which is considered one of the rarest and most valuable coins in American numismatics.
Another prominent figure was Abraham Brasher (1804-1848), an English journalist and author who co-founded the influential magazine The Athenaeum in 1828. He was widely respected for his literary criticism and played a significant role in shaping the cultural landscape of 19th-century Britain.
In the world of sports, Joseph Brasher (1890-1956) was a notable English professional footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, in the early 20th century.
Sir Leonard Brasher (1908-1989) was a distinguished British civil servant who served as the Governor of Bermuda from 1964 to 1968 and played a pivotal role in the island's constitutional developments during that period.
Finally, John Brasher (1949-2018) was an American actor and playwright known for his work in the theatre and television. He co-founded the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City and wrote several acclaimed plays, including "The Foreigner" and "Psychopathia Sexualis."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brasher
Among Census respondents with the surname Brasher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brasher 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 Brasher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 5,231
- Black or African American4.7% · 282
- Two or more races3.6% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 214
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brasher
Brasher 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
#5,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,634
+297 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 179 places
2020
#5,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,010
-624 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 321 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,082 | 6,337 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,261 | 6,634 | 2.25 | +297 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 179 places |
| 2020 | #5,582 | 6,010 | 2.01 | -624 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 321 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 Brasher 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 | #5,261 | #5,582 | -6.1% |
| Count | 6,634 | 6,010 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.25 | 2.01 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brasher bearers went from 6,634 to 6,010 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 321 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,261 to #5,582.
FAQ
Brasher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brasher?
Name Census estimates that about 6,892 living Americans carry the surname Brasher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,732 residents.
How common is Brasher?
Brasher ranks #5,582 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,010 people with the surname Brasher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,892), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Brasher.
Has Brasher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brasher went from 6,634 recorded bearers to 6,010. That is a decrease of 624 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,261 to #5,582.
What does the Census say about the background of Brasher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brasher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Brasher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (5,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brasher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Brasher (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 Brasher mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a worker who made brass or brass armor. 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 Brasher (2.01 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 Brasher?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Brasher, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.