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

Brenda, 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 Brenda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brenda in America

Brenda is the 81458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brenda surname appeared 232 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Brenda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brenda 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 Brenda

The surname "Brenda" is believed to have originated in Italy, where it was derived from the Italian word "brenda," meaning "rag" or "tatter." This suggests that the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who wore ragged clothing or worked with rags.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Brenda" date back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various Italian records and manuscripts. One notable example is the mention of a "Guglielmo Brenda" in a document from the city of Siena in 1275.

In the following centuries, the name spread to other parts of Italy, with variations in spelling such as "Brende," "Brendae," and "Brendia." These variations likely occurred due to regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.

The surname "Brenda" is also found in some historical records from other European countries, such as France and Spain, suggesting that it may have been carried by Italian migrants or travelers to these regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Italy is a reference to a "Jean Brenda" in a French census record from the city of Marseille in 1467.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname "Brenda," including:

1. Giovanni Brenda (c. 1450-1520), an Italian painter and architect from Florence, known for his work on the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral.
2. Bartolomeo Brenda (1555-1628), an Italian Baroque painter from Genoa, famous for his religious works and frescoes.
3. Maria Brenda (1640-1712), a Spanish writer and poet from Valencia, renowned for her sonnets and love poems.
4. Antonio Brenda (1785-1854), an Italian composer and violinist from Naples, known for his operas and chamber music.
5. Giulia Brenda (1901-1987), an Italian actress from Rome, who appeared in several films during the golden age of Italian cinema.

It is worth noting that while the surname "Brenda" has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brenda

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

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 Brenda 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 Brenda 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 Brenda was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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