2000
#19,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Bremner
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning 'from the high hill.'
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,576 Americans carry the last name Bremner. That puts it at #19,637 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 217,484 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bremner 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 Bremner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 217,484
Census rank
#19,637
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,374 bearers of the surname Bremner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19637th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bremner, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bremner
Among Census respondents with the surname Bremner, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bremner 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 Bremner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 1,089
- Two or more races5.5% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.0% · 69
- Black or African American4.9% · 68
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bremner
Bremner 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
#18,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,547
+289 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 1,761 places
2020
#19,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,374
-173 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 1,601 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,797 | 1,258 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,036 | 1,547 | 0.52 | +289 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 1,761 places |
| 2020 | #19,637 | 1,374 | 0.46 | -173 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 1,601 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 Bremner 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 | #18,036 | #19,637 | -8.9% |
| Count | 1,547 | 1,374 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.46 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bremner bearers went from 1,547 to 1,374 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 1,601 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,036 to #19,637.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bremner
FAQ
Bremner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bremner?
Name Census estimates that about 1,576 living Americans carry the surname Bremner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 217,484 residents.
How common is Bremner?
Bremner ranks #19,637 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,374 people with the surname Bremner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,576), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Bremner.
Has Bremner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bremner went from 1,547 recorded bearers to 1,374. That is a decrease of 173 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,036 to #19,637.
What does the Census say about the background of Bremner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bremner, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%). 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 Bremner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (1,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bremner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.0%). 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 Bremner (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 Bremner mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning 'from the high hill.' 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 Bremner (0.46 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 are called Bremner?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Bremner at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.