2000
#6,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,277
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.96
Rare Last name
Breeding
An occupational surname referring to a person who raises animals or manages animal reproduction.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,525 Americans carry the last name Breeding. That puts it at #6,728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,037 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breeding 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
5.5K
1 in 62,037
Census rank
#6,728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,818 bearers of the surname Breeding in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breeding, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breeding
The surname BREEDING is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "bræding," which means "a small broad plate or dish." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century in the East Midlands region of England, particularly in the counties of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297, where it appears as "WilliamBredyng." The variant spelling "Bredyng" was common in medieval times, and it is likely that the name evolved from this form over time.
In the 14th century, the surname BREEDING appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, a tax record from 1273-1279. This document mentions a "Willelmus Bredyng" and a "Robertus Bredyng," suggesting that the name was well-established in the region by that time.
The name BREEDING is also associated with several place names in England, such as Bredingley in Yorkshire and Bredisholm in Lincolnshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa.
One notable individual with the surname BREEDING was Robert Breeding (c. 1510-1558), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian persecutions under Queen Mary I. Another was John Breeding (1756-1823), an American frontiersman and longhunter who explored the Cumberland Gap and played a significant role in the early settlement of Kentucky.
Other historical figures with the surname BREEDING include Reverend John Breeding (1647-1711), an English clergyman and author of several religious works, and Mary Breeding (1737-1801), an American pioneer and early settler in Tennessee.
In the 19th century, William Breeding (1819-1893) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Masonic School for Boys and the Holborn Restaurant.
Overall, the surname BREEDING has a rich history dating back to medieval England and has been associated with various notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breeding
Among Census respondents with the surname Breeding, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Breeding 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 Breeding surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 4,266
- Black or African American4.0% · 195
- Two or more races3.3% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breeding
Breeding 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
#6,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,358
+81 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 351 places
2020
#6,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,818
-540 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,007 | 5,277 | 1.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,358 | 5,358 | 1.82 | +81 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 351 places |
| 2020 | #6,728 | 4,818 | 1.61 | -540 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 370 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 Breeding 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 | #6,358 | #6,728 | -5.8% |
| Count | 5,358 | 4,818 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.61 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breeding bearers went from 5,358 to 4,818 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 370 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,358 to #6,728.
FAQ
Breeding surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breeding?
Name Census estimates that about 5,525 living Americans carry the surname Breeding. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,037 residents.
How common is Breeding?
Breeding ranks #6,728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,818 people with the surname Breeding. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Breeding.
Has Breeding become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breeding went from 5,358 recorded bearers to 4,818. That is a decrease of 540 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,358 to #6,728.
What does the Census say about the background of Breeding?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breeding, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Breeding in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (4,266 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breeding appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Black (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Breeding (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 Breeding mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who raises animals or manages animal reproduction. 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 Breeding (1.61 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 have the surname Breeding?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.