Find out how popular the last name Breese is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Breese.

Breese, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Breese surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Breese in America

Breese is the 10297th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Breese surname appeared 3,130 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Breese.

We can also compare 2010 data for Breese to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Breese

The surname BREESE has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "bres" or "brese", which means "breach" or "gap", often referring to a gap in a hedge or fence. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive one, given to someone who lived near such a gap or breach.

The name BREESE is first recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, where a person named Robert Brese is mentioned. It is also found in various other medieval records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where a William Brese is listed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BREESE appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a John Brese is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surname spellings during that period.

The name BREESE is also linked to various place names in England, such as Breese in Shropshire and Brese in Oxfordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Historically, notable individuals with the surname BREESE include John Breese (born around 1500), a landowner and prominent figure in the English county of Cheshire. Another significant figure was Sir Edward Breese (1620-1692), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1677.

In the literary realm, James Breese (1786-1868) was a Scottish writer and poet, known for his works on Scottish history and folklore. The family name is also associated with military figures, such as Major General Samuel Breese (1794-1872), a distinguished officer in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.

Furthermore, the surname BREESE has been carried by notable individuals in various fields, including Nicholas Breese (1544-1605), an English diplomat and ambassador to Russia, and John Breese (1776-1862), an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Breese

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Breese.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Breese was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Breese has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Breese was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Breese, please contact us.

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