2000
#12,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Breneman
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of bridles, derived from Old English "bridel" and "mann."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,447 Americans carry the last name Breneman. That puts it at #13,598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,071 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breneman 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
2.4K
1 in 140,071
Census rank
#13,598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,134 bearers of the surname Breneman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breneman
The surname Breneman is of German origin, originating in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is believed to have emerged around the 16th century. The name is derived from the German words "Bren" meaning "to burn" and "Mann" meaning "man," suggesting that the name may have originated from an occupation related to burning or working with fire, such as a charcoal burner or a blacksmith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Breneman name can be found in the church records of the town of Kirchheimbolanden, located in Rhineland-Palatinate, dating back to the late 16th century. In these records, the name appears with various spellings, including Brenneman, Brennemann, and Breneman.
The Breneman name gained prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. Johann Philipp Breneman (1689-1767) was a German composer and organist who served as the court organist to the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. Michael Breneman (1720-1789) was a prominent American Mennonite farmer and landowner in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, known for his contributions to the local community.
In the 19th century, the Breneman name continued to spread across Europe and North America. One notable figure was John Breneman (1819-1892), an American politician and farmer who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1869 to 1872. Another significant individual was Johann Gottlieb Breneman (1807-1885), a German-American painter and illustrator known for his portraiture and religious works.
As the Breneman family dispersed across different regions, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Brenneman, Brenaman, and Brennaman. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the local dialects or preferences of the regions where the family settled.
Throughout history, several individuals with the Breneman surname have made notable contributions in various fields, including music, art, politics, and agriculture. While the name may have originated from a humble occupation, it has since been carried by individuals who have left their mark on their respective communities and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breneman
Among Census respondents with the surname Breneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Breneman 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 Breneman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,992
- Two or more races2.5% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breneman
Breneman 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
#12,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,520
+185 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 106 places
2020
#13,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,134
-386 bearers (-15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,233 | 2,335 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,339 | 2,520 | 0.85 | +185 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 106 places |
| 2020 | #13,598 | 2,134 | 0.71 | -386 bearers (-15.3%) | Down 1,259 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 Breneman 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 | #12,339 | #13,598 | -10.2% |
| Count | 2,520 | 2,134 | -15.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.71 | -16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breneman bearers went from 2,520 to 2,134 (-15.3% change). The surname moved down 1,259 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,339 to #13,598.
FAQ
Breneman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breneman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,447 living Americans carry the surname Breneman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,071 residents.
How common is Breneman?
Breneman ranks #13,598 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,134 people with the surname Breneman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,447), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Breneman.
Has Breneman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breneman went from 2,520 recorded bearers to 2,134. That is a decrease of 386 (-15.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,339 to #13,598.
What does the Census say about the background of Breneman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Breneman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,992 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breneman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Breneman (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 Breneman mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of bridles, derived from Old English "bridel" and "mann." 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 Breneman (0.71 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 share the surname Breneman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.