2000
#12,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Brekke
A Norwegian habitational surname derived from places named Brekke, meaning "slope" or "hillside."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,506 Americans carry the last name Brekke. That puts it at #13,343 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brekke 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
2.5K
1 in 136,773
Census rank
#13,343
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,185 bearers of the surname Brekke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13343rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brekke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brekke
The surname Brekke originated in Norway and is derived from the Old Norse word "brekka," which means "slope" or "hillside." It is believed to have emerged as a topographic name, referring to individuals who lived near or on a slope or hillside.
Brekke is an ancient surname that can be traced back to the Viking era in Scandinavia. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various Norwegian records and manuscripts.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Brekke was Sigurd Brekke, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the late 13th century. His name was recorded in a land registry from the year 1285, indicating that he owned a farm near the village of Brekke in western Norway.
During the Middle Ages, the name Brekke was particularly prevalent in the western and central regions of Norway, such as Hordaland, Rogaland, and Møre og Romsdal. It was often associated with rural areas and farming communities, reflecting the topographic origins of the name.
In the 16th century, the Brekke family of Stavanger, Norway, gained prominence as successful merchants and shipowners. Johan Brekke (1520-1589) was a notable figure in this family, known for his extensive trading activities and wealth.
Another notable individual with the surname Brekke was Nils Brekke (1690-1768), a Norwegian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, in the mid-18th century.
During the 19th century, the Brekke surname spread beyond Norway as Norwegian emigrants settled in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America was that of Bjørn Brekke (1815-1892), a Norwegian immigrant who settled in Wisconsin in the 1850s.
Other notable individuals with the surname Brekke include Torgeir Brekke (1863-1923), a Norwegian author and journalist, and Grete Brekke (1892-1975), a Norwegian actress and theater director.
It is worth noting that while the surname Brekke has its roots in Norway, it has also been adopted by individuals in other Scandinavian countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, due to cultural and linguistic similarities in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brekke
Among Census respondents with the surname Brekke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Brekke 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 Brekke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,034
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 74
- Two or more races2.3% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brekke
Brekke 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
#13,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,310
+147 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 231 places
2020
#13,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,185
-125 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,995 | 2,163 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,226 | 2,310 | 0.78 | +147 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 231 places |
| 2020 | #13,343 | 2,185 | 0.73 | -125 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 117 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 Brekke 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 | #13,226 | #13,343 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,310 | 2,185 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.73 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brekke bearers went from 2,310 to 2,185 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,226 to #13,343.
FAQ
Brekke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brekke?
Name Census estimates that about 2,506 living Americans carry the surname Brekke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,773 residents.
How common is Brekke?
Brekke ranks #13,343 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,185 people with the surname Brekke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,506), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Brekke.
Has Brekke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brekke went from 2,310 recorded bearers to 2,185. That is a decrease of 125 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,226 to #13,343.
What does the Census say about the background of Brekke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brekke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Brekke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,034 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brekke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Brekke (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 Brekke mean?
A Norwegian habitational surname derived from places named Brekke, meaning "slope" or "hillside." 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 Brekke (0.73 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 Brekke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.