2000
#16,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,559
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Brawn
A surname referencing physical strength or muscularity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,829 Americans carry the last name Brawn. That puts it at #17,328 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 187,400 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brawn 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 Brawn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 187,400
Census rank
#17,328
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,595 bearers of the surname Brawn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17328th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brawn
The surname Brawn is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "brægen," which means "brain" or "power of mind." It likely originated in the early medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century.
In its earliest form, the name may have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone perceived as intelligent or possessing great mental prowess. Over time, it evolved into a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Brawn can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Braghen." This suggests that the name was already in use among the Anglo-Saxon population before the Norman Conquest of 1066.
During the Middle Ages, various spelling variations emerged, including Brayn, Brayne, and Braine. These variations likely reflected regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One notable individual with the surname Brawn was Sir John Brawn, a prominent English merchant and diplomat who lived in the 15th century. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1459 and played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements with the Hanseatic League.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records from Staffordshire, where the village of Braine was located. This may have been a place of origin for some Brawn families.
Another notable figure was Thomas Brawn, a renowned English architect and surveyor who lived from 1588 to 1660. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including Wilton House and the Banqueting House in Whitehall.
In the 17th century, the name Brawn gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was Edward Brawn, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and planter.
During the 18th century, the surname Brawn was particularly prevalent in the English counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Dorset. One notable individual from this period was William Brawn (1735-1815), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many Brawn families migrated from rural areas to urban centers, seeking employment in factories and mills. One notable figure from this period was John Brawn (1819-1892), a successful industrialist and businessman who founded the Brawn Engineering Company in Birmingham.
Throughout its history, the surname Brawn has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, from merchants and diplomats to architects, military leaders, and industrialists. While its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, the name has endured and continues to be carried by families around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brawn
Among Census respondents with the surname Brawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brawn 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 Brawn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 1,158
- Black or African American18.6% · 297
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 76
- Two or more races2.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brawn
Brawn 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
#15,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,899
+340 bearers (+21.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,423 places
2020
#17,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,595
-304 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 1,899 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,852 | 1,559 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,429 | 1,899 | 0.64 | +340 bearers (+21.8%) | Up 1,423 places |
| 2020 | #17,328 | 1,595 | 0.53 | -304 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 1,899 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 Brawn 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 | #15,429 | #17,328 | -12.3% |
| Count | 1,899 | 1,595 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.53 | -16.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brawn bearers went from 1,899 to 1,595 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 1,899 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,429 to #17,328.
FAQ
Brawn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brawn?
Name Census estimates that about 1,829 living Americans carry the surname Brawn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 187,400 residents.
How common is Brawn?
Brawn ranks #17,328 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.53 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 1,595 people with the surname Brawn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,829), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.53 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 Brawn.
Has Brawn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brawn went from 1,899 recorded bearers to 1,595. That is a decrease of 304 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,429 to #17,328.
What does the Census say about the background of Brawn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Brawn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (1,158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brawn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.6%), Black (18.6%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Brawn (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 Brawn mean?
A surname referencing physical strength or muscularity. 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 Brawn (0.53 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 Brawn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.