2000
#12,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Brecht
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "brecht," referring to someone who broke flax or hemp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,439 Americans carry the last name Brecht. That puts it at #13,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,531 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brecht 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
2.4K
1 in 140,531
Census rank
#13,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,127 bearers of the surname Brecht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brecht
The surname Brecht has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Germanic words "breht" or "brecht," which referred to a bright or shining object, and was likely used as a nickname or descriptive moniker for someone with a radiant or luminous appearance.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Henricus Brecht, a merchant from the city of Cologne, whose name appears in records from the year 1189. In the 13th century, the name can be found in various forms, such as Bregt, Bregth, and Brechte, in documents from the regions of Westphalia and the Rhineland.
The Brecht surname was also associated with several place names in Germany, including Brecht in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brecht in Bavaria. These locations likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the name in their respective regions.
Notably, the Brecht family tree includes several prominent individuals throughout history. One of the most renowned is Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), the influential German playwright, poet, and theatre theorist, whose works, such as "The Threepenny Opera" and "Mother Courage and Her Children," have left an indelible mark on the world of literature and theatre.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Brecht (1600-1657), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics. In the realm of music, Karl Gustav Brecht (1826-1870) was a respected German composer and conductor, known for his orchestral works and operas.
The Brecht surname can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Belgium. For instance, Jan Brecht (1593-1647) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, renowned for his still-life paintings and depictions of flowers.
Additionally, the name appears in various manuscripts and chronicles from the Middle Ages, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of documents related to the history of Saxony, which mentions individuals with the surname Brecht dating back to the 13th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brecht
Among Census respondents with the surname Brecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brecht 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 Brecht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,985
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 70
- Two or more races2.4% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brecht
Brecht 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
#13,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,289
-28 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,021 places
2020
#13,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,127
-162 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 315 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,305 | 2,317 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,326 | 2,289 | 0.78 | -28 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,021 places |
| 2020 | #13,641 | 2,127 | 0.71 | -162 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 315 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 Brecht 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 | #13,326 | #13,641 | -2.4% |
| Count | 2,289 | 2,127 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.71 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brecht bearers went from 2,289 to 2,127 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 315 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,326 to #13,641.
FAQ
Brecht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brecht?
Name Census estimates that about 2,439 living Americans carry the surname Brecht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,531 residents.
How common is Brecht?
Brecht ranks #13,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,127 people with the surname Brecht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Brecht.
Has Brecht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brecht went from 2,289 recorded bearers to 2,127. That is a decrease of 162 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,326 to #13,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Brecht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Brecht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,985 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brecht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Brecht (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 Brecht mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "brecht," referring to someone who broke flax or hemp. 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 Brecht (0.71 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 Brecht?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.