2000
#6,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,686
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Breckenridge
A locational surname referring to a person from Breckenridge, a place in Scotland or England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,939 Americans carry the last name Breckenridge. That puts it at #7,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breckenridge 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 Breckenridge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,398
Census rank
#7,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,307 bearers of the surname Breckenridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breckenridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breckenridge
The surname Breckenridge is of Scottish origin, derived from the place name Brechin, a town in Angus, Scotland. The name is thought to have originated in the 12th century and is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "brie" meaning "hill" and "cین" meaning "corner" or "angle."
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a Robert de Brechin was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage pledges to King Edward I of England. The name was also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, indicating its widespread use in the region.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Breckenridge was Sir David Brechin (1325-1395), a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence. He was granted lands in Angus for his service and became a prominent landowner in the region.
Another significant figure was William Breckenridge (1510-1578), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1572. He played a crucial role in the Scottish Reformation and was a staunch supporter of John Knox's teachings.
In the 17th century, the Breckenridge family gained prominence in the United States when Alexander Breckenridge (1635-1708) emigrated from Scotland to Virginia in 1668. He became a successful plantation owner and his descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country.
One of the most notable Breckenridges in American history was John Cabell Breckinridge (1821-1875), a politician who served as the 14th Vice President of the United States under James Buchanan from 1857 to 1861. During the Civil War, he joined the Confederate Army and served as a general and later as the Confederate Secretary of War.
Another prominent individual with the surname was John Breckinridge (1789-1841), a Presbyterian minister and theologian who served as the president of Jefferson College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in Pennsylvania from 1819 to 1840. He played a significant role in shaping the theological education of the time.
The name Breckenridge has also been associated with various place names, such as Breckenridge, Colorado, a town named after the former Vice President John C. Breckinridge, and Breckenridge County, Kentucky, named in honor of John Breckinridge, the Presbyterian minister and theologian.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breckenridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Breckenridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Breckenridge 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 Breckenridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 3,196
- Black or African American16.3% · 701
- Two or more races4.8% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 141
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breckenridge
Breckenridge 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
#6,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,949
+263 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 163 places
2020
#7,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,307
-642 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,651 | 4,686 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,814 | 4,949 | 1.68 | +263 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 163 places |
| 2020 | #7,463 | 4,307 | 1.44 | -642 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 649 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 Breckenridge 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 | #6,814 | #7,463 | -9.5% |
| Count | 4,949 | 4,307 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.44 | -14.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breckenridge bearers went from 4,949 to 4,307 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 649 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,814 to #7,463.
FAQ
Breckenridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breckenridge?
Name Census estimates that about 4,939 living Americans carry the surname Breckenridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,398 residents.
How common is Breckenridge?
Breckenridge ranks #7,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,307 people with the surname Breckenridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,939), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Breckenridge.
Has Breckenridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breckenridge went from 4,949 recorded bearers to 4,307. That is a decrease of 642 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,814 to #7,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Breckenridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breckenridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) 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 Breckenridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (3,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breckenridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Black (16.3%), 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 Breckenridge (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 Breckenridge mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from Breckenridge, a place in Scotland or England. 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 Breckenridge (1.44 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 Breckenridge?
If you just want to know how many people are called Breckenridge, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.