2000
#3,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,469
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.14
Rare Last name
Bratcher
An English occupational surname for someone who braided or wove goods, likely derived from the Old English "brædan," meaning "to braid."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,550 Americans carry the last name Bratcher. That puts it at #4,134 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,891 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bratcher 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 Bratcher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,891
Census rank
#4,134
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,328 bearers of the surname Bratcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4134th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bratcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bratcher
The surname Bratcher originates from England and is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'bræc', meaning 'newly cultivated land'. The name likely emerged in the 11th or 12th century, referring to individuals who worked as farmers or landowners on newly cleared or cultivated lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where it appears as 'Brachur'. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also mention a 'Roger le Brachur' from Oxfordshire, indicating the name's presence in various regions of England during that period.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as 'Bracher', 'Brachar', and 'Brachour', reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common at the time. The Hearth Tax Returns of 1665 list several households with the surname Bratcher in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
The name Bratcher has also been associated with certain place names, such as Bratcher's Farm in Kent and Bratcher's Hill in Wiltshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who owned or resided in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Bratcher include:
1. Robert Bratcher (1920-2010), an American biblical scholar and translator who worked on the Good News Bible.
2. John Bratcher (1570-1640), an English clergyman and Puritan preacher who served as the Rector of Wigan from 1616 until his death.
3. William Bratcher (1783-1858), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
4. Elizabeth Bratcher (1670-1745), a prominent Quaker minister and author from Pennsylvania, known for her religious writings and journals.
5. Thomas Bratcher (1815-1897), an American politician who served as a member of the Missouri State Senate in the late 19th century.
While the surname Bratcher has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the early days of English history, reflecting the agricultural roots and landholding traditions of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bratcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Bratcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bratcher 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 Bratcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.7% · 6,389
- Black or African American14.4% · 1,200
- Two or more races4.8% · 403
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 255
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bratcher
Bratcher 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
#3,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,301
+832 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Up 48 places
2020
#4,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,328
-973 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 2.79
Rank movement Down 327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,855 | 8,469 | 3.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,807 | 9,301 | 3.15 | +832 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 48 places |
| 2020 | #4,134 | 8,328 | 2.79 | -973 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 327 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 Bratcher 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 | #3,807 | #4,134 | -8.6% |
| Count | 9,301 | 8,328 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.15 | 2.79 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bratcher bearers went from 9,301 to 8,328 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 327 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,807 to #4,134.
FAQ
Bratcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bratcher?
Name Census estimates that about 9,550 living Americans carry the surname Bratcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,891 residents.
How common is Bratcher?
Bratcher ranks #4,134 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,328 people with the surname Bratcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,550), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bratcher.
Has Bratcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bratcher went from 9,301 recorded bearers to 8,328. That is a decrease of 973 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,807 to #4,134.
What does the Census say about the background of Bratcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bratcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Bratcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (6,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bratcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.7%), Black (14.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Bratcher (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 Bratcher mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who braided or wove goods, likely derived from the Old English "brædan," meaning "to braid." 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 Bratcher (2.79 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 Bratcher?
Find out how common the surname Bratcher is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.