2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brda
A surname likely derived from the Slavic word 'brdo' meaning hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Brda. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brda 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Brda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brda, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brda
The surname "BRDA" has its origins in the Slavic region of Eastern Europe, specifically in the areas that now encompass modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 13th or 14th century.
One of the earliest known records of the name appears in a 1389 document from the Moravian region of what is now the Czech Republic, where a certain "Wenceslaus Brda" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area by the late Middle Ages.
The name itself is thought to derive from the Slavic word "brdo," which means "hill" or "small mountain." This implies that the original bearers of the surname may have lived in or near hilly or mountainous terrain.
In the 15th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Brdak," appeared in records from the town of Brdov in what is now the Czech Republic. This lends further credence to the theory that the name is connected to geographical features.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the surname "BRDA" was Jan Brda, a 16th-century Czech painter and engraver who was active in Prague during the Renaissance period. His works can still be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.
Another individual of note was Stanisław Brda, a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought against the Teutonic Knights in the 15th century. He is credited with leading the defense of the city of Brodnica during the Polish-Teutonic War of 1454-1466.
In the 17th century, a Polish mathematician and astronomer named Jan Brda made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
The name also appears in the historical records of the Russian Empire, where a certain Mikhail Brda served as a military officer and fought in the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century.
In the 20th century, a Polish writer and journalist named Andrzej Brda gained recognition for his novels and short stories exploring themes of rural life and social issues in his home country.
While the surname "BRDA" is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich and diverse history spanning multiple centuries and regions of Eastern Europe. Its origins can be traced back to the geographical landscapes of the Slavic lands, and it has been borne by notable individuals in various fields throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brda
Among Census respondents with the surname Brda, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brda 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 Brda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brda
Brda 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+15 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,339 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,821 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 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 5,339 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,821 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 Brda 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 | #136,449 | #144,270 | -5.7% |
| Count | 123 | 117 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brda bearers went from 123 to 117 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #144,270.
FAQ
Brda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brda?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Brda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Brda?
Brda ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Brda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Brda.
Has Brda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brda went from 123 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Brda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brda, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Brda (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 Brda mean?
A surname likely derived from the Slavic word 'brdo' meaning hill. 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 Brda (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 common is the surname Brda?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Brda at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.