2000
#3,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,053
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.36
Rare Last name
Bratton
Derived from a place name meaning "Bratta's town" in Old English, referring to a settlement founded by someone named Bratta.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,935 Americans carry the last name Bratton. That puts it at #3,970 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,500 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bratton 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 Bratton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,500
Census rank
#3,970
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,664 bearers of the surname Bratton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3970th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bratton
Among Census respondents with the surname Bratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bratton 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 Bratton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 6,360
- Black or African American17.5% · 1,515
- Two or more races4.5% · 389
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 325
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bratton
Bratton 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
#3,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,300
+247 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#3,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,664
-636 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Down 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,609 | 9,053 | 3.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,809 | 9,300 | 3.15 | +247 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #3,970 | 8,664 | 2.90 | -636 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 161 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 Bratton 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 | #3,809 | #3,970 | -4.2% |
| Count | 9,300 | 8,664 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.15 | 2.90 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bratton bearers went from 9,300 to 8,664 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,809 to #3,970.
FAQ
Bratton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bratton?
Name Census estimates that about 9,935 living Americans carry the surname Bratton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,500 residents.
How common is Bratton?
Bratton ranks #3,970 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 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 8,664 people with the surname Bratton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 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 Bratton.
Has Bratton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bratton went from 9,300 recorded bearers to 8,664. That is a decrease of 636 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,809 to #3,970.
What does the Census say about the background of Bratton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) 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 Bratton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (6,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bratton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.4%), Black (17.5%), 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 Bratton (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 Bratton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Bratta's town" in Old English, referring to a settlement founded by someone named Bratta. 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 Bratton (2.90 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 Bratton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.