2000
#8,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Brazell
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of coal or charcoal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,969 Americans carry the last name Brazell. That puts it at #9,068 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,358 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brazell 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 Brazell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,358
Census rank
#9,068
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,461 bearers of the surname Brazell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9068th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brazell, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brazell
The surname Brazell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a broad clearing or dell. The name is likely derived from the Old English words 'brad' meaning broad and 'dell' meaning valley or hollow.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Bradele' in Nottinghamshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Bradeley, Bradeleigh, Bradeley, and eventually Brazell. These variations reflect regional dialects and the influence of scribes who recorded the name phonetically.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard de Bradeleye holding lands in Staffordshire. This indicates that individuals bearing the name had achieved some social status and landholdings during this period.
One notable figure with this surname was Sir John Brazell, a member of the English Parliament who lived from 1550 to 1624. He represented the borough of Southwark and was known for his involvement in local politics and governance.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Brazell, born in 1652, who served as the Chief Justice of the Bahamas in the late 17th century. His tenure was marked by efforts to establish a more structured legal system in the British colony.
In the 18th century, Samuel Brazell (1716-1798) was a celebrated English architect and builder. He was responsible for designing and constructing several notable buildings, including St. Paul's Church in Deptford.
Moving into the 19th century, John Brazell (1783-1868) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Liverpool. He made significant contributions to the city's development and supported various charitable causes.
Finally, one of the more recent individuals with this surname was William Brazell (1913-2001), a British author and historian who wrote extensively about the history and culture of the English countryside.
These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the Brazell surname across different regions of England and its endurance over several centuries, with individuals from this family line making notable contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brazell
Among Census respondents with the surname Brazell, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brazell 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 Brazell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 2,758
- Black or African American10.9% · 378
- Two or more races4.8% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brazell
Brazell 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
#8,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,868
+377 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 160 places
2020
#9,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,461
-407 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 556 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,672 | 3,491 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,512 | 3,868 | 1.31 | +377 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 160 places |
| 2020 | #9,068 | 3,461 | 1.16 | -407 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 556 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 Brazell 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 | #8,512 | #9,068 | -6.5% |
| Count | 3,868 | 3,461 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.16 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brazell bearers went from 3,868 to 3,461 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 556 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,512 to #9,068.
FAQ
Brazell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brazell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,969 living Americans carry the surname Brazell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,358 residents.
How common is Brazell?
Brazell ranks #9,068 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,461 people with the surname Brazell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,969), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Brazell.
Has Brazell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brazell went from 3,868 recorded bearers to 3,461. That is a decrease of 407 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,512 to #9,068.
What does the Census say about the background of Brazell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brazell, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Brazell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (2,758 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brazell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Black (10.9%), Two or More Races (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 Brazell (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 Brazell mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of coal or charcoal. 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 Brazell (1.16 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 share the surname Brazell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.