2000
#7,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Brawner
An English occupational surname for a person who distills alcoholic beverages or owns a brewery or alehouse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,488 Americans carry the last name Brawner. That puts it at #8,109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,371 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brawner 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
4.5K
1 in 76,371
Census rank
#8,109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,914 bearers of the surname Brawner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brawner, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brawner
The surname Brawner is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded roots dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Germanic word "braun," meaning "brown," which may have been a reference to a person's physical appearance or perhaps a description of their occupation, such as a tanner or dyer.
One of the earliest known references to the Brawner name can be found in the records of the town of Braunau am Inn, located in Upper Austria. In these records, the name is spelled "Brauner," which is a common variation of the modern spelling. It is likely that some of the earliest bearers of this surname were from this region or had ancestors who hailed from there.
In the 17th century, the Brawner name began to spread across Europe, with records indicating families bearing this surname in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Switzerland and France. One notable individual from this period was Johann Brawner, a German clockmaker who lived in the late 1600s and was renowned for his intricate and innovative timepieces.
As the centuries passed, the Brawner surname continued to disperse, with some families emigrating to the New World in search of new opportunities. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America dates back to the late 18th century, when a man named Jacob Brawner settled in Pennsylvania.
In the 19th century, the Brawner name gained prominence in the American South, particularly in the states of Virginia and North Carolina. One notable figure from this era was William Brawner, a Virginia farmer and landowner who lived from 1786 to 1862. Another prominent individual was James Brawner, a North Carolina politician who served in the state legislature in the mid-1800s.
As the 20th century dawned, the Brawner name continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life. One notable example is Richard Brawner, an American author and historian who was born in 1929 and wrote extensively on the history of the American South.
Throughout its long and storied history, the Brawner surname has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, ranging from artisans and tradesmen to politicians and intellectuals. While its origins may be rooted in medieval Germany, the name has since spread across the globe, leaving an indelible mark on the cultures and communities it has touched.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brawner
Among Census respondents with the surname Brawner, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Brawner 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 Brawner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 3,017
- Black or African American14.6% · 570
- Two or more races4.5% · 176
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brawner
Brawner 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
#7,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,601
+458 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 170 places
2020
#8,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,914
-687 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 862 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,417 | 4,143 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,247 | 4,601 | 1.56 | +458 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 170 places |
| 2020 | #8,109 | 3,914 | 1.31 | -687 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 862 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 Brawner 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 | #7,247 | #8,109 | -11.9% |
| Count | 4,601 | 3,914 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.31 | -16.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brawner bearers went from 4,601 to 3,914 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 862 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,247 to #8,109.
FAQ
Brawner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brawner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,488 living Americans carry the surname Brawner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,371 residents.
How common is Brawner?
Brawner ranks #8,109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,914 people with the surname Brawner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,488), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Brawner.
Has Brawner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brawner went from 4,601 recorded bearers to 3,914. That is a decrease of 687 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,247 to #8,109.
What does the Census say about the background of Brawner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brawner, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Brawner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (3,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brawner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Brawner (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 Brawner mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who distills alcoholic beverages or owns a brewery or alehouse. 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 Brawner (1.31 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 are called Brawner?
You can see how many people are called Brawner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.