2000
#11,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,420
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Brayton
From an English place name meaning "broad town," referring to a settlement located on a wide road or open area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,612 Americans carry the last name Brayton. That puts it at #12,899 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,223 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brayton 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 Brayton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,223
Census rank
#12,899
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,278 bearers of the surname Brayton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12899th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brayton
The surname Brayton is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the place name Broughton, which means "the fortified farm" or "the farm settlement" in Old English.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brayton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Broctone" and is associated with various locations across England, including Broughton in Staffordshire, Broughton in Buckinghamshire, and Broughton in Oxfordshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Brayton began to appear more frequently in historical records, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Braiton, Braytun, and Braytown. This was a common occurrence in those times, as standardized spelling had not yet been established.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Brayton throughout history include Sir Thomas Brayton (c. 1490 - 1552), an English landowner and member of the gentry who served as a Justice of the Peace in Northamptonshire. Another prominent figure was John Brayton (1615 - 1692), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Braintree, Massachusetts, in the early days of the American colonies.
In the 17th century, the name Brayton gained recognition with the birth of Thomas Brayton (1632 - 1689), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Defence of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone" and "A Treatise on the Sacrament of Baptism."
Moving into the 18th century, the Brayton name was associated with William Brayton (1721 - 1798), a British merchant and slave trader who was involved in the triangular trade between England, Africa, and the West Indies. He amassed considerable wealth through this controversial trade.
Another notable individual bearing the Brayton surname was George Brayton (1818 - 1892), an American mechanical engineer and inventor. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the Brayton cycle, which is a thermodynamic cycle used in various engines and power plants.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have carried the surname Brayton over the centuries, spanning various professions and geographic locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brayton
Among Census respondents with the surname Brayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Brayton 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 Brayton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 2,038
- Two or more races3.3% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 70
- Black or African American2.3% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brayton
Brayton 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
#12,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
-38 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,053 places
2020
#12,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,278
-104 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,851 | 2,420 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,904 | 2,382 | 0.81 | -38 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 1,053 places |
| 2020 | #12,899 | 2,278 | 0.76 | -104 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 5 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 Brayton 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 | #12,904 | #12,899 | 0.0% |
| Count | 2,382 | 2,278 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.76 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brayton bearers went from 2,382 to 2,278 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,904 to #12,899.
FAQ
Brayton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brayton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,612 living Americans carry the surname Brayton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,223 residents.
How common is Brayton?
Brayton ranks #12,899 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,278 people with the surname Brayton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Brayton.
Has Brayton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brayton went from 2,382 recorded bearers to 2,278. That is a decrease of 104 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,904 to #12,899.
What does the Census say about the background of Brayton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Brayton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,038 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brayton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Brayton (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 Brayton mean?
From an English place name meaning "broad town," referring to a settlement located on a wide road or open area. 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 Brayton (0.76 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 last name Brayton?
Want to know how many people have the surname Brayton? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.