2000
#973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,676
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.11
Uncommon Last name
Braun
A German and Jewish surname referring to someone with brown hair or a dark complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,592 Americans carry the last name Braun. That puts it at #1,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braun 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 Braun with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,881
Census rank
#1,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,654 bearers of the surname Braun in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braun, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braun
Braun is a surname of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "brun" meaning "brown" or "dark-haired." It likely originated as a descriptive nickname referring to someone with dark hair or a tanned complexion.
The surname can be traced back to the 11th century, with early records showing variations in spelling such as Brun, Brune, and Bruyn. One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brun" and "Brune."
During the Middle Ages, the Braun surname was commonly found in regions of present-day Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was also prevalent in parts of Switzerland and Austria, reflecting the widespread use of the German language in those areas.
Notable bearers of the Braun surname include Johannes Braun (1628-1708), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion. Johann Braun (1590-1668) was a renowned Baroque architect and sculptor who designed several churches and palaces in Germany and Italy.
In the 19th century, Braun became a prominent name in the field of engineering and manufacturing. Karl Braun (1800-1882) established the Braun Company, a leading manufacturer of electrical and mechanical equipment. His grandson, Max Braun (1884-1951), continued the family business and expanded it into a global enterprise.
Another notable figure was Wernher von Braun (1912-1977), a German-American aerospace engineer and space architect. He played a crucial role in the development of rocket technology and was a key figure in the U.S. space program, leading the design and construction of the Saturn V rocket that propelled the Apollo missions to the Moon.
Eva Braun (1912-1945) was perhaps one of the most famous bearers of the surname. She was the longtime companion and eventual wife of Adolf Hitler, the infamous leader of Nazi Germany. Their relationship and her role in Hitler's inner circle have been the subject of extensive historical analysis and speculation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braun
Among Census respondents with the surname Braun, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Braun 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 Braun surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 31,045
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,192
- Two or more races2.6% · 879
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 276
- Black or African American0.5% · 171
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 91
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braun
Braun 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
#1,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,491
+1,815 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 11.69
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#1,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,654
-837 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 11.26
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #973 | 32,676 | 12.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,012 | 34,491 | 11.69 | +1,815 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #1,018 | 33,654 | 11.26 | -837 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 6 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 Braun 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 | #1,012 | #1,018 | -0.6% |
| Count | 34,491 | 33,654 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 11.69 | 11.26 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braun bearers went from 34,491 to 33,654 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,012 to #1,018.
FAQ
Braun surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braun?
Name Census estimates that about 38,592 living Americans carry the surname Braun. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,881 residents.
How common is Braun?
Braun ranks #1,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,654 people with the surname Braun. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,592), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Braun.
Has Braun become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braun went from 34,491 recorded bearers to 33,654. That is a decrease of 837 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,012 to #1,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Braun?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braun, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Braun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (31,045 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braun appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Braun (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 Braun mean?
A German and Jewish surname referring to someone with brown hair or a dark complexion. 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 Braun (11.26 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 surname Braun?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.