2000
#16,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Brenes
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a thicket of brambles or thorns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,633 Americans carry the last name Brenes. That puts it at #12,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brenes 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
2.6K
1 in 130,176
Census rank
#12,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,296 bearers of the surname Brenes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brenes
The surname Brenes has its origins in Spain, with records indicating its use as early as the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "brena," which means "heather" or "gorse," suggesting that the name may have originated from a place where these plants were abundant.
One of the earliest known references to the Brenes surname can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a historical document that recorded the distribution of land and property in Seville after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Brenes, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
In the 14th century, the Brenes surname appeared in various records and manuscripts throughout Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. One notable example is the Libro de los Repartimientos de Lorca, a document from 1271 that lists several Brenes families among the repopulation of the city of Lorca after its reconquest.
Over the centuries, the Brenes surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded is Andrés Brenes, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the 15th century. Another notable figure was Juan Brenes, a renowned painter from Seville who lived in the 16th century and is known for his religious works.
In the 17th century, the Brenes surname gained prominence with the birth of Alonso Brenes (1620-1692), a Spanish architect and sculptor who contributed to the construction of several notable buildings in Seville, including the Palacio de San Telmo and the Iglesia del Salvador.
Another notable individual was Francisco Brenes Mesía (1744-1819), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Nicaragua from 1786 to 1796. He played a significant role in the development of the region during his tenure.
In the 19th century, the Brenes surname was carried by José María Brenes Moreira (1826-1891), a Costa Rican politician and diplomat who served as the President of Costa Rica from 1876 to 1882. He is remembered for his efforts to modernize the country and promote education.
The surname Brenes has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Brenes, a town located in the province of Seville, and Breña Alta and Breña Baja, two municipalities in the Canary Islands. These place names likely derive from the same Spanish word "brena," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the vegetation found in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brenes
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Brenes 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 Brenes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.9% · 2,018
- White10.5% · 240
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
- Two or more races0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brenes
Brenes 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
#13,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,181
+615 bearers (+39.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 2,928 places
2020
#12,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,296
+115 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 1,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,783 | 1,566 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,855 | 2,181 | 0.74 | +615 bearers (+39.3%) | Up 2,928 places |
| 2020 | #12,808 | 2,296 | 0.77 | +115 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 1,047 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 Brenes 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 | #13,855 | #12,808 | 7.6% |
| Count | 2,181 | 2,296 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.77 | 3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brenes bearers went from 2,181 to 2,296 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 1,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,855 to #12,808.
FAQ
Brenes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brenes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,633 living Americans carry the surname Brenes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,176 residents.
How common is Brenes?
Brenes ranks #12,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,296 people with the surname Brenes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,633), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Brenes.
Has Brenes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brenes went from 2,181 recorded bearers to 2,296. That is an increase of 115 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,855 to #12,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Brenes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Black (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brenes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (2,018 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brenes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.9%), White (10.5%), Black (0.7%). 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 Brenes (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 Brenes mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a thicket of brambles or thorns. 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 Brenes (0.77 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 common is the surname Brenes?
Want to know how many people have the surname Brenes? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.