2000
#11,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Brass
An English occupational surname for a worker who made or sold brass goods or brass instruments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,729 Americans carry the last name Brass. That puts it at #12,448 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,597 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brass 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 Brass with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,597
Census rank
#12,448
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,380 bearers of the surname Brass in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12448th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brass, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brass
The surname BRASS originates from England, with records indicating its presence as early as the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "braes," which means brass or bronze. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with these metals, either as a metalsmith or a maker of brass instruments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BRASS can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I. The name appears in various spellings, such as "le Brasse," "le Bras," and "Brasse."
The BRASS surname is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which were tax records from the reign of King Edward III. These rolls list individuals with the surnames "le Brasse" and "Brasse" residing in counties like Somerset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire.
In the 16th century, the BRASS surname is found in parish records from various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire. One notable individual from this period was Robert BRASS, who was born in Nottinghamshire around 1540 and served as a member of the Parliament for Nottingham in 1597.
During the 17th century, the name BRASS appeared in several historical records, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662-1666. These rolls recorded households that were required to pay a tax based on the number of hearths or fireplaces in their homes. The name BRASS can be found in counties like Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Staffordshire.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the BRASS surname was Thomas BRASS, who was born in Lincolnshire in 1720. He was a renowned engraver and clockmaker, known for his intricate work on clock dials and other metalwork.
Another significant figure with the BRASS surname was John BRASS, a political activist and writer who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in Leicestershire in 1768 and was involved in the radical reform movements of his time, advocating for political and social changes.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable individual was William BRASS, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1812. He was a successful businessman and entrepreneur, founding the BRASS and Co. manufacturing company, which produced brass and copper goods.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname BRASS who have left their mark on history, showcasing the diversity and significance of this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brass
Among Census respondents with the surname Brass, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Brass 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 Brass surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 1,681
- Black or African American19.9% · 474
- Two or more races4.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brass
Brass 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
#11,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,625
+136 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#12,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,380
-245 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 522 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,578 | 2,489 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,926 | 2,625 | 0.89 | +136 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #12,448 | 2,380 | 0.80 | -245 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 522 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 Brass 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 | #11,926 | #12,448 | -4.4% |
| Count | 2,625 | 2,380 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.80 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brass bearers went from 2,625 to 2,380 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 522 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,926 to #12,448.
FAQ
Brass surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brass?
Name Census estimates that about 2,729 living Americans carry the surname Brass. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,597 residents.
How common is Brass?
Brass ranks #12,448 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,380 people with the surname Brass. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,729), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Brass.
Has Brass become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brass went from 2,625 recorded bearers to 2,380. That is a decrease of 245 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,926 to #12,448.
What does the Census say about the background of Brass?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brass, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Brass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (1,681 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brass appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Black (19.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Brass (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 Brass mean?
An English occupational surname for a worker who made or sold brass goods or brass instruments. 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 Brass (0.80 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 Brass?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Brass on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.