2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Braslow
An Americanized spelling of a surname derived from a place name in Eastern Europe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Braslow. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braslow 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Braslow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braslow, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braslow
The surname "BRASLOW" is believed to have originated from the Old German word "braes," meaning "to burn" or "to clear land by burning." It is thought to have been an occupational name given to those who cleared land for farming or settlement by burning away vegetation.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century in the region of modern-day Germany. One of the earliest known records is found in the Stadtbücher (town books) of Lübeck, a city in northern Germany, where a "Johannes Braselowe" is mentioned in 1287.
As the name spread across Europe, various spellings emerged, including "Braslow," "Braslawe," and "Braslouwe." In England, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a "Willelmus Braselowe" is listed as a landowner in Oxfordshire.
During the 14th century, the name is found in several historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 and the Poll Tax Returns of 1379. These records document individuals with the surname "Braslow" living in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Suffolk.
One notable individual with the surname "Braslow" was Sir John Braslow (c. 1350-1415), a prominent English knight who served under King Richard II and later fought in the Hundred Years' War against France.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the Parish Registers of Stratford-upon-Avon, where a "William Braslow" was recorded as having been baptized in 1568.
Another noteworthy figure was Hans Braslow (1520-1587), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of trigonometry and the calculation of planetary orbits.
During the 17th century, the surname "Braslow" is found in various records across Europe, including the Dutch East India Company's archives, where a "Pieter Braslow" is mentioned as a ship's captain in 1642.
In the 18th century, a "Johann Braslow" (1712-1789) was a renowned German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
As the surname spread to other parts of the world, it underwent further variations in spelling, such as "Braslov" and "Brazlow." However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained closely tied to the Old German word "braes" and the occupation of clearing land through burning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braslow
Among Census respondents with the surname Braslow, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Braslow 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 Braslow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 103
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braslow
Braslow 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,938 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-16 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,685 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 6,938 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 14,685 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 Braslow 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 | #138,304 | #152,989 | -10.6% |
| Count | 121 | 105 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braslow bearers went from 121 to 105 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 14,685 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #152,989.
FAQ
Braslow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braslow?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Braslow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Braslow?
Braslow ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Braslow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Braslow.
Has Braslow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braslow went from 121 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Braslow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braslow, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Braslow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braslow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Braslow (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 Braslow mean?
An Americanized spelling of a surname derived from a place name in Eastern Europe. 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 Braslow (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 Americans have the surname Braslow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.