2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Breil
From an area once called Breil in northern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Breil. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breil 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Breil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breil, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breil
The surname BREIL has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "breil," which referred to a small patch of arable land or a clearing in a forest. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near or owned such clearings.
The name BREIL is first found in historical records from the region of Bavaria, particularly in the areas around Nuremberg and Regensburg. One of the earliest mentions of the name appears in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493, which lists a "Hans Breil" among the citizens of the city.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the name BREIL was Johann Breil, a German physician and alchemist born around 1430 in Regensburg. He is credited with writing several treatises on medicine and alchemy, including "De Lapide Philosophorum" (On the Philosopher's Stone).
Another historical figure with the surname BREIL was Andreas Breil, a Bavarian artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his intricate engravings depicting religious scenes and portraits.
During the 17th century, the name BREIL appeared in various records from the Palatinate region of Germany, including mentions of families with the name residing in the towns of Speyer and Heidelberg.
In the 18th century, a prominent individual with the surname BREIL was Johann Philipp Breil, a German lawyer and legal scholar born in 1701 in Heidelberg. He authored several influential works on Roman and German law.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Breyl, Brail, and Briel, likely due to regional dialects and phonetic changes. However, the core form of BREIL has remained consistent throughout its documented history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breil
Among Census respondents with the surname Breil, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Breil 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 Breil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 12
- Black or African American4.4% · 5
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breil
Breil 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-24 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 32,362 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -24 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 32,362 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Breil 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breil bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Breil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breil?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Breil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Breil?
Breil ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Breil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Breil.
Has Breil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breil went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Breil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breil, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (4.4%). 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 Breil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (10.5%), Black (4.4%). 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 Breil (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 Breil mean?
From an area once called Breil in northern Italy. 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 Breil (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 many people share the surname Breil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.