2000
#8,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,465
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Braud
A French topographic surname for someone who lived by a ford, derived from Old French "brau" meaning "mud".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,456 Americans carry the last name Braud. That puts it at #13,561 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braud 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 Braud with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,558
Census rank
#13,561
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,142 bearers of the surname Braud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13561st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braud, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braud
The surname BRAUD is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "brod" or "brou," meaning "broth" or "soup." It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or sold broth or soup.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Paris and Normandy. The name appeared in various spellings in medieval records, such as "Brod," "Brode," and "Braud."
One of the earliest known references to the surname BRAUD can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a person named "Robertus Brode."
In the 13th century, the name BRAUD appeared in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire, England, suggesting that individuals bearing this surname had migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest.
Notable individuals with the surname BRAUD throughout history include:
1. Jean Braud (c. 1540-1605), a French sculptor and architect who worked on several notable buildings in Paris during the Renaissance period.
2. Pierre Braud (1715-1792), a French philosopher and writer who published influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
3. Marie-Antoinette Braud (1782-1853), a French painter known for her portraits and genre scenes during the Neoclassical and Romantic periods.
4. Émile Braud (1835-1909), a French engineer and inventor who developed several innovations in steam engine technology.
5. Georges Braud (1887-1963), a French politician who served as a member of the National Assembly and played a role in the founding of the Fifth Republic.
The surname BRAUD has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Brou-sur-Chantereine, a commune in the Île-de-France region, and Brou-sur-Loyre, a former commune in the Marne department.
While the name BRAUD has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has evolved with various spellings and pronunciations in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braud
Among Census respondents with the surname Braud, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Braud 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 Braud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.0% · 1,671
- Black or African American12.7% · 272
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 100
- Two or more races3.4% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braud
Braud 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
#12,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,396
-1,069 bearers (-30.9%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 4,119 places
2020
#13,561
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,142
-254 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 711 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,731 | 3,465 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,850 | 2,396 | 0.81 | -1,069 bearers (-30.9%) | Down 4,119 places |
| 2020 | #13,561 | 2,142 | 0.72 | -254 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 711 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 Braud 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 | #12,850 | #13,561 | -5.5% |
| Count | 2,396 | 2,142 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.72 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braud bearers went from 2,396 to 2,142 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 711 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,850 to #13,561.
FAQ
Braud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braud?
Name Census estimates that about 2,456 living Americans carry the surname Braud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,558 residents.
How common is Braud?
Braud ranks #13,561 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,142 people with the surname Braud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Braud.
Has Braud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braud went from 2,396 recorded bearers to 2,142. That is a decrease of 254 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,850 to #13,561.
What does the Census say about the background of Braud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braud, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Braud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (1,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.0%), Black (12.7%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Braud (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 Braud mean?
A French topographic surname for someone who lived by a ford, derived from Old French "brau" meaning "mud". 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 Braud (0.72 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 Braud?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.