2000
#4,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,581
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Bremer
A German occupational surname referring to a person who distills spirits or manufactures yeast.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,081 Americans carry the last name Bremer. That puts it at #5,447 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,405 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bremer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bremer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,405
Census rank
#5,447
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,175 bearers of the surname Bremer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5447th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bremer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bremer
The surname Bremer originated in Germany and can be traced back to the medieval era. It is derived from the German word "Bremer," which means "someone from Bremen," a city in northern Germany. The name is likely an occupational surname, referring to a person who lived or worked in Bremen.
The earliest known record of the surname Bremer dates back to the 13th century, appearing in various historical documents and manuscripts from the region. One notable reference is found in the Bremische Jahrbücher, a chronicle of events in Bremen, which mentions several individuals with the surname Bremer.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Johann Bremer (1310-1375) was a respected merchant and city councilor in Bremen. His legacy is still celebrated in the city, with a street and a square bearing his name.
Another notable individual was Gerhard Bremer (1487-1558), a German reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and helped spread the Reformation ideas in northern Germany.
During the 16th century, the surname Bremer also appeared in various records in the Netherlands, indicating that some families with this name had migrated or established connections in that region.
In the 17th century, Frederic Bremer (1622-1698) was a prominent Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works. His artworks are still highly regarded and can be found in museums across Europe.
In the late 18th century, Frederika Bremer (1801-1865) was a Swedish writer and feminist who made significant contributions to the women's rights movement. Her novels and non-fiction works advocated for gender equality and social reforms, earning her widespread recognition and influence.
The name Bremer has also been associated with various place names and older spellings of place names in Germany and the surrounding regions. For example, the city of Bremen was formerly known as Bremun or Brahmanopolis in ancient times, which may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bremer
Among Census respondents with the surname Bremer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bremer 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 Bremer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 5,624
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 213
- Two or more races3.3% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 79
- Black or African American0.5% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bremer
Bremer 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
#5,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,733
+152 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 289 places
2020
#5,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,175
-558 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 252 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,906 | 6,581 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,195 | 6,733 | 2.28 | +152 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 289 places |
| 2020 | #5,447 | 6,175 | 2.07 | -558 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 252 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 Bremer 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 | #5,195 | #5,447 | -4.9% |
| Count | 6,733 | 6,175 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.28 | 2.07 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bremer bearers went from 6,733 to 6,175 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 252 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,195 to #5,447.
FAQ
Bremer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bremer?
Name Census estimates that about 7,081 living Americans carry the surname Bremer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,405 residents.
How common is Bremer?
Bremer ranks #5,447 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.07 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 6,175 people with the surname Bremer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,081), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.07 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 Bremer.
Has Bremer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bremer went from 6,733 recorded bearers to 6,175. That is a decrease of 558 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,195 to #5,447.
What does the Census say about the background of Bremer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bremer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Bremer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (5,624 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bremer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Bremer (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 Bremer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who distills spirits or manufactures yeast. 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 Bremer (2.07 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 last name Bremer?
See how many people have the surname Bremer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.