2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Breines
A surname possibly derived from the German word "Brenne" meaning a burning or clearing by burning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Breines. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breines 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Breines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breines, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breines
The surname BREINES is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the German word "Brein," which means "brier" or "bramble bush," suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a bramble thicket or worked with thorny bushes.
The earliest recorded instances of the BREINES surname can be traced back to various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central parts of the country. One of the earliest known references to this surname can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a person named Hans Breines was mentioned in a document dated 1492.
Another notable historical figure with the BREINES surname was Johann Breines, a German Protestant theologian and philosopher who lived from 1575 to 1639. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the BREINES surname also appeared in the records of the town of Goslar in Lower Saxony, where a family by the name of Breines was recorded as residing in the area. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of Germany by that time.
As the BREINES surname spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Breynes, Breynies, and Breinies, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the evolving nature of surnames over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BREINES surname outside of Germany can be found in the Netherlands, where a person named Willem Breines was mentioned in the city records of Amsterdam in the late 16th century.
Another noteworthy individual with the BREINES surname was Johann Philipp Breines, a German-born artist and engraver who lived from 1667 to 1698. His works were highly regarded in his time, and several of his engravings are housed in prestigious art collections across Europe.
In the 19th century, the BREINES surname gained prominence in the field of horticulture with the work of Jakob Breines, a German botanist and horticulturist who lived from 1796 to 1864. He is known for his contributions to the study and cultivation of various plant species, and his name is associated with several botanical terms and plant names.
While the BREINES surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and immigration, becoming a part of the diverse tapestry of surnames found in many countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breines
Among Census respondents with the surname Breines, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Breines 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 Breines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 100
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breines
Breines 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,256 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,839 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 14,256 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 5,839 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 Breines 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 | #156,044 | #150,205 | 3.7% |
| Count | 104 | 109 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breines bearers went from 104 to 109 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 5,839 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #150,205.
FAQ
Breines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breines?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Breines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Breines?
Breines ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Breines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Breines.
Has Breines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breines went from 104 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 5 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Breines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breines, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Breines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Breines (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 Breines mean?
A surname possibly derived from the German word "Brenne" meaning a burning or clearing by burning. 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 Breines (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 have the surname Breines?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.