2000
#6,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,959
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Brauer
An occupational surname referring to a beer brewer or someone who works in a brewery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,274 Americans carry the last name Brauer. That puts it at #7,038 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brauer 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.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,989
Census rank
#7,038
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,599 bearers of the surname Brauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7038th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brauer
The surname Brauer originated in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "brauer," which means "brewer." The earliest recorded examples of the name appear in various medieval records and documents from the region.
During the Middle Ages, the brewing of beer was an important industry, and many individuals took on surnames related to their trades or occupations. The Brauer name likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who worked as a brewer or was involved in the production of beer.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis," a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany. In this document, a person named "Henricus Brauer" is mentioned in connection with a land transaction in the year 1295.
Another notable early reference is in the "Annales Pragenses," a historical chronicle from Prague, which mentions a "Johannes Brauer" in the year 1348. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its origins in Germany by the 14th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Brauer throughout history include:
1. Johann Brauer (1468-1534), a German theologian and reformer who was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
2. Andreas Brauer (1628-1697), a German jurist and author who served as a professor of law at the University of Leipzig and wrote several influential legal treatises.
3. Friedrich Brauer (1812-1880), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
4. Maximilian Brauer (1892-1987), a German-American mathematician known for his pioneering work in the field of group theory and abstract algebra.
5. Gustav Brauer (1881-1949), a German entomologist and taxonomist who specialized in the study of flies and made important contributions to the classification of insect species.
The name Brauer can also be found in various place names and older spellings of geographical locations throughout Germany and surrounding regions, reflecting the widespread distribution of the name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Brauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Brauer 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 Brauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 4,197
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 182
- Two or more races3.2% · 146
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 42
- Black or African American0.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brauer
Brauer 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
#6,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,906
-53 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 532 places
2020
#7,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,599
-307 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,326 | 4,959 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,858 | 4,906 | 1.66 | -53 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 532 places |
| 2020 | #7,038 | 4,599 | 1.54 | -307 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 180 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 Brauer 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 | #6,858 | #7,038 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,906 | 4,599 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.54 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brauer bearers went from 4,906 to 4,599 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 180 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,858 to #7,038.
FAQ
Brauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brauer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,274 living Americans carry the surname Brauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,989 residents.
How common is Brauer?
Brauer ranks #7,038 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,599 people with the surname Brauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,274), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Brauer.
Has Brauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brauer went from 4,906 recorded bearers to 4,599. That is a decrease of 307 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,858 to #7,038.
What does the Census say about the background of Brauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Brauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (4,197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Brauer (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 Brauer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a beer brewer or someone who works in a brewery. 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 Brauer (1.54 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 Brauer?
Find out how many people have the last name Brauer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.