Find out how popular the last name Bremner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bremner.

Bremner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bremner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bremner in America

Bremner is the 18036th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bremner surname appeared 1,547 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bremner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bremner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bremner

The surname Bremner is of Scottish origin, with its roots traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old English words "brēm" and "ere," which together translate to "culler or collector of brambles." This suggests that the original bearers of this surname may have been involved in gathering brambles or wild berries for sustenance or trade.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Bremner can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1379, where one John Bremner is mentioned. The name was prevalent in the regions of Aberdeenshire and Moray in northeastern Scotland, where many Bremner families were established.

In the 16th century, the Bremner name appeared in the Rental Book of the Diocese of Glasgow, indicating their presence in the central region of Scotland as well. During this time, variations in spelling, such as Bremnar and Bremener, were also documented.

One notable figure bearing the Bremner surname was David Bremner (1784-1856), a Scottish writer and historian who authored works on the history and antiquities of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. His contributions to preserving the cultural heritage of Scotland were significant.

Another prominent Bremner was John Bremner (1810-1879), a Scottish musician and composer who specialized in traditional Scottish music. He published numerous collections of Scottish airs and contributed to the preservation of Scotland's musical heritage.

In the 19th century, Robert Bremner (1837-1914) made his mark as a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. He founded the Bremner Brothers Steel Company and played a crucial role in the development of the steel industry in the United States.

John Bremner (1869-1936), a Scottish-Canadian businessman and politician, served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Red Deer, Alberta, from 1925 to 1935.

Lastly, James Bremner (1886-1952), a Scottish-born American labor leader and activist, played a significant role in the establishment of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and fought for the rights of workers in the maritime industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bremner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bremner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bremner was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bremner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bremner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bremner, please contact us.

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