2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brasie
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the burned land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Brasie. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brasie 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Brasie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brasie, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brasie
The surname Brasie originated in England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "bræs," which means "brass" or "bronze." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who worked as a brass or bronze worker or lived near a brass foundry.
During the Middle Ages, surnames often emerged from occupations, locations, or descriptive nicknames. The name Brasie could have been a descriptive surname given to a person involved in the brass trade or a locational name indicating someone who lived near a brass foundry or a place with "brass" in its name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brasie can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "Brasi." This record suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "Brasy" in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 and "Bracy" in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from 1379. These variations in spelling were common during that time, as standardized spelling had not yet been established.
One notable historical figure with the surname Brasie was William Brasie, a farmer from Gloucestershire, England, who was born around 1560. He is mentioned in the parish records of Westbury-on-Trym, where he lived and worked on the land.
Another individual with this surname was John Brasie, a merchant and landowner from Oxfordshire, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in the wool trade and is recorded in several legal documents related to land transactions in the area.
In the 17th century, the surname Brasie appears in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire. One notable bearer of the name was Thomas Brasie, a soldier who fought in the English Civil War and is mentioned in historical records from the 1640s.
During the 18th century, the surname Brasie continued to be found in various regions of England, with some bearers of the name migrating to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. For example, James Brasie (1710-1782), a merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, is recorded in historical documents from the mid-18th century.
Another individual with the surname Brasie was Elizabeth Brasie (1758-1832), a writer and poet from Northamptonshire, England. Her collection of poems, titled "Verses on Various Occasions," was published in 1801 and received some recognition during her lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brasie
Among Census respondents with the surname Brasie, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brasie 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 Brasie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brasie
Brasie 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,287 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 16,287 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 5,109 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 Brasie 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 | #156,044 | #150,935 | 3.3% |
| Count | 104 | 108 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brasie bearers went from 104 to 108 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 5,109 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #150,935.
FAQ
Brasie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brasie?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Brasie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Brasie?
Brasie ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Brasie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Brasie.
Has Brasie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brasie went from 104 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Brasie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brasie, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Brasie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brasie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Brasie (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 Brasie mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the burned land". 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 Brasie (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 share the surname Brasie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.