2000
#13,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,022
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Brault
A French occupational surname referring to a brewer or maker of beer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,235 Americans carry the last name Brault. That puts it at #14,663 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,358 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brault 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
2.2K
1 in 153,358
Census rank
#14,663
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,949 bearers of the surname Brault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14663rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brault, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brault
The surname BRAULT has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "brault," which referred to a small wooded area or a thicket. This suggests that the name may have initially been applied to someone who lived near or worked in a forested area.
One of the earliest known references to the BRAULT surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This document mentions individuals with the name Brault, indicating that the surname had already spread beyond its French origins by the 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the BRAULT name appeared in various records and documents across France and neighboring regions. For instance, a Jehan Brault was recorded as a resident of the town of Châteaudun in the year 1412. Another early notable bearer of the name was Pierre Brault, a merchant from Lyon who lived in the late 15th century.
As the surname spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Brault, Braulte, and Braulte. These variations often reflected regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
One of the earliest known bearers of the BRAULT surname in North America was Étienne Brault, a French immigrant who settled in Quebec in the mid-17th century. He became a prominent figure in the colony and was involved in the fur trade.
Throughout history, several individuals with the BRAULT surname have achieved notable accomplishments. Jean-Baptiste Brault (1728-1800) was a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais de la Bourse. In the 19th century, Émile Brault (1842-1912) was a renowned French painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
In more recent times, Jacques Brault (1933-1998) was a celebrated Canadian poet and novelist who wrote extensively in the French language. His works explored themes of identity, language, and the Quebec experience.
Another notable figure was Guy Brault (1919-2017), a Canadian actor and playwright who made significant contributions to the development of Quebec's theatre scene in the 20th century.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the BRAULT surname throughout history, contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on the cultural and intellectual landscapes of their respective regions and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brault
Among Census respondents with the surname Brault, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Brault 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 Brault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,801
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 54
- Two or more races2.7% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 26
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brault
Brault 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
#14,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,029
+7 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 920 places
2020
#14,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,949
-80 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,742 | 2,022 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,662 | 2,029 | 0.69 | +7 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 920 places |
| 2020 | #14,663 | 1,949 | 0.65 | -80 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 1 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 Brault 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 | #14,662 | #14,663 | -0.0% |
| Count | 2,029 | 1,949 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.65 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brault bearers went from 2,029 to 1,949 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,662 to #14,663.
FAQ
Brault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brault?
Name Census estimates that about 2,235 living Americans carry the surname Brault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,358 residents.
How common is Brault?
Brault ranks #14,663 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,949 people with the surname Brault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,235), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Brault.
Has Brault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brault went from 2,029 recorded bearers to 1,949. That is a decrease of 80 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,662 to #14,663.
What does the Census say about the background of Brault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brault, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Brault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,801 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Brault (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 Brault mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a brewer or maker of beer. 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 Brault (0.65 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 share the surname Brault?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.