2000
#5,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.99
Rare Last name
Breland
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "land cleared by burning."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,096 Americans carry the last name Breland. That puts it at #6,176 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breland 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
6.1K
1 in 56,226
Census rank
#6,176
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,316 bearers of the surname Breland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6176th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breland, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breland
The surname Breland is of French origin, derived from the Old French words "brel" and "land," which together signify a small piece of uncultivated or wooded land. It is believed to have emerged in the 11th or 12th century, during the Middle Ages.
Breland is closely associated with the region of Normandy in northern France, where it was first documented. The name likely originated as a topographic descriptor, referring to individuals who resided near or owned such uncultivated lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a certain "Radulfus de Brelande" (Ralph of Breland) who held lands in Lincolnshire, England.
Throughout the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Brelande, Brelaund, and Brelant. These variations reflect regional dialects and scribal interpretations common during the time.
Notable individuals bearing the Breland surname include:
1. Jean de Breland (c. 1310-1370), a French knight who fought alongside King Edward III of England during the Hundred Years' War.
2. Guillaume de Breland (c. 1380-1445), a French architect and master mason who oversaw the construction of several Gothic cathedrals in northern France.
3. Robert Breland (c. 1520-1590), an English merchant and explorer who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his circumnavigation of the globe.
4. Jeanne de Breland (c. 1615-1670), a French noblewoman and courtier at the court of King Louis XIV.
5. William Breland (1725-1802), an American colonist and Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Yorktown.
The Breland name has been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Breland in Calvados, Normandy, and Breland Manor in Kent, England, both of which may have influenced the surname's development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breland
Among Census respondents with the surname Breland, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Breland 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 Breland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 3,530
- Black or African American25.0% · 1,328
- Two or more races4.6% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breland
Breland 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
#6,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,510
+150 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 297 places
2020
#6,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,316
-194 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,912 | 5,360 | 1.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,209 | 5,510 | 1.87 | +150 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 297 places |
| 2020 | #6,176 | 5,316 | 1.78 | -194 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 33 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 Breland 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 | #6,209 | #6,176 | 0.5% |
| Count | 5,510 | 5,316 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.78 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breland bearers went from 5,510 to 5,316 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,209 to #6,176.
FAQ
Breland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breland?
Name Census estimates that about 6,096 living Americans carry the surname Breland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,226 residents.
How common is Breland?
Breland ranks #6,176 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 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 5,316 people with the surname Breland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,096), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 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 Breland.
Has Breland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breland went from 5,510 recorded bearers to 5,316. That is a decrease of 194 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,209 to #6,176.
What does the Census say about the background of Breland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breland, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Breland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (3,530 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (25.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Breland (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 Breland mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "land cleared 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 Breland (1.78 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 Breland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.