Find out how popular the last name Bratton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bratton.

Bratton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bratton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bratton in America

Bratton is the 3809th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bratton surname appeared 9,300 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Bratton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bratton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bratton

The surname Bratton is of English origin and is believed to have originated from a place name, specifically a town or village. It is derived from the Old English words "bræd" meaning broad and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, referring to a broad settlement or village.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century and is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions several places with the name Bratton, including those in Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bratton was Roger de Bratton, who lived in the 13th century and was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1230. Another early reference is William de Bratton, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

In the 14th century, the name was also found in various spellings, such as Brattun, Brattone, and Breton, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time period.

Bratton has been the surname of several notable individuals throughout history, including:

1. William Bratton (born 1947), an American law enforcement officer who served as the Police Commissioner of Boston and New York City.
2. Benjamin Bratton (born 1970), an American theorist and sociologist known for his work on design philosophy and urban computing.
3. John Bratton (1831-1898), an American lawyer and Confederate general during the American Civil War.
4. Thomas Bratton (1814-1898), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Maryland.
5. John Bratton (1692-1771), an English playwright and actor during the 18th century.

While the surname Bratton has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through British migration and settlement in various countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bratton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bratton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bratton was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bratton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bratton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bratton, please contact us.

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