2000
#2,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,249
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.17
Uncommon Last name
Braxton
From an English place name meaning "Bracca's town," derived from the Old English personal name "Bracca" combined with "tun" (settlement).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,473 Americans carry the last name Braxton. That puts it at #2,997 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Braxton 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 Braxton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,440
Census rank
#2,997
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,749 bearers of the surname Braxton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2997th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Braxton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.4%. The next largest groups are White (18.9%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Braxton
The surname Braxton originated in England during the medieval period. It is a habitation name derived from the Old English words "bræc" meaning fern and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in a village or settlement surrounded by ferns or bracken.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bractone" in reference to a place in Derbyshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, the name was recorded in various forms such as "Brakton," "Bractoun," and "Brakedon." These variations highlight the fluid nature of spelling during this period, as names were often written phonetically.
In the 14th century, the name began to take on its more modern spelling of "Braxton." One notable bearer of the name from this era was Sir Robert Braxton, a wealthy landowner who lived in Leicestershire and was knighted in 1379.
The 16th century saw the emergence of several notable Braxtons, including Thomas Braxton (1492-1557), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of London. Another prominent figure was William Braxton (1515-1592), a lawyer and member of the English Parliament.
In the 17th century, the Braxton family gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the most celebrated members was Carter Braxton (1736-1797), a wealthy planter and merchant from Virginia who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Another notable Braxton from this era was Edward Braxton (1627-1684), an Anglican clergyman who became the first Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield in 1661.
As the centuries passed, the Braxton name continued to be borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, and politicians. Some examples include the English painter John Braxton (1785-1868), the American novelist Charles Braxton (1817-1888), and the Canadian politician John Braxton (1861-1932).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Braxton
Among Census respondents with the surname Braxton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.4%. The next largest groups are White (18.9%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Braxton 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 Braxton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.4% · 8,149
- White18.9% · 2,223
- Two or more races6.9% · 815
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 463
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Braxton
Braxton 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
#2,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,268
+1,019 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 4.16
Rank movement Up 17 places
2020
#2,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,749
-519 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 3.93
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,938 | 11,249 | 4.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,921 | 12,268 | 4.16 | +1,019 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 17 places |
| 2020 | #2,997 | 11,749 | 3.93 | -519 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 76 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 Braxton 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 | #2,921 | #2,997 | -2.6% |
| Count | 12,268 | 11,749 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.16 | 3.93 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Braxton bearers went from 12,268 to 11,749 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,921 to #2,997.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Braxton
FAQ
Braxton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Braxton?
Name Census estimates that about 13,473 living Americans carry the surname Braxton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,440 residents.
How common is Braxton?
Braxton ranks #2,997 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,749 people with the surname Braxton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,473), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Braxton.
Has Braxton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Braxton went from 12,268 recorded bearers to 11,749. That is a decrease of 519 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,921 to #2,997.
What does the Census say about the background of Braxton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Braxton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 69.4%. The next largest groups are White (18.9%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Braxton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.4% (8,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Braxton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (69.4%), White (18.9%), Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Braxton (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 Braxton mean?
From an English place name meaning "Bracca's town," derived from the Old English personal name "Bracca" combined with "tun" (settlement). 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 Braxton (3.93 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 Americans have the surname Braxton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.