2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brazo
A surname indicating a physically strong or muscular person in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Brazo. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brazo 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Brazo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brazo, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brazo
The surname "BRAZO" originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "brazo," meaning "arm." The name likely referred to a person with a particularly strong or distinguishing arm, or perhaps someone who worked with their arms, such as a blacksmith or builder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "BRAZO" can be found in the census records of the Kingdom of Aragon in the 13th century. Several individuals with this surname were listed as residents of the city of Zaragoza, which was a major center of trade and commerce at the time.
During the 15th century, the name "BRAZO" appeared in various documents related to the Spanish Inquisition. Pedro BRAZO, a merchant from Seville, was accused of harboring Jewish converts to Christianity in his home and was subject to interrogation by the inquisitors in 1487.
In the 16th century, the BRAZO family established roots in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. Juan BRAZO (1523-1597) was a prominent landowner and vineyard owner in the town of Valdepeñas, known for producing some of Spain's finest wines.
The BRAZO surname also has a notable presence in Latin American history. Juana BRAZO (1645-1703) was a respected midwife and healer in the city of Puebla, Mexico, during the colonial era. Her expertise in traditional remedies and birthing techniques was highly sought after by the local indigenous and Spanish communities.
In the 19th century, Manuel BRAZO (1821-1887) was a distinguished military officer who fought in the Mexican-American War and later served as a general in the Mexican army during the French Intervention. His bravery and leadership on the battlefield earned him numerous honors and decorations.
Another notable figure with the BRAZO surname was Emilia BRAZO (1876-1954), a pioneering Cuban journalist and women's rights activist. She founded one of the first feminist publications in Cuba, "La Mujer Moderna" (The Modern Woman), and campaigned tirelessly for women's suffrage and equal rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brazo
Among Census respondents with the surname Brazo, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brazo 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 Brazo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 13
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brazo
Brazo 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+20 bearers (+18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,582 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,822 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+18.5%) | Up 9,582 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 12,822 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 Brazo 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 | #132,206 | #145,028 | -9.7% |
| Count | 128 | 116 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brazo bearers went from 128 to 116 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 12,822 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #145,028.
FAQ
Brazo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brazo?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Brazo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Brazo?
Brazo ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Brazo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Brazo.
Has Brazo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brazo went from 128 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Brazo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brazo, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Brazo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brazo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Hispanic (11.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Brazo (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 Brazo mean?
A surname indicating a physically strong or muscular person in Spanish. 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 Brazo (0.04 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 Brazo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.