2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Brenneisen
A German surname meaning "burning iron" or "hot iron".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Brenneisen. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brenneisen 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Brenneisen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenneisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brenneisen
The surname Brenneisen is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a combination of the German words "brennen," meaning "to burn," and "Eisen," meaning "iron." This suggests that the name may have been derived from an occupation or trade related to metalworking, such as a blacksmith or a foundry worker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brenneisen can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Bavaria, dating back to the 15th century. The name appears in a list of citizens from the year 1472, indicating that it was already established in that region during that time period.
In the 16th century, the name Brenneisen was also recorded in various parts of what is now modern-day Germany, including the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. This suggests that the name had spread across different areas of the German-speaking territories.
A notable individual with the surname Brenneisen was Johann Brenneisen, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1668 to 1734. He was known for his intricate copperplate engravings and worked in cities like Augsburg and Nuremberg, which were centers of the printing industry at the time.
Another historical figure bearing the name was Karl Brenneisen, a German painter and art teacher who was born in 1838 and died in 1917. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and later taught at the same institution, gaining recognition for his landscape paintings and portraiture.
In the 19th century, the Brenneisen family was also recorded as having settled in parts of what is now modern-day Austria. One example is the town of Bregenz, where a family with the surname Brenneisen is mentioned in local records from the mid-1800s.
While the surname Brenneisen is predominantly found in German-speaking regions, it has also been documented in other parts of Europe, possibly due to migration patterns. For instance, there are records of individuals with the surname Brenneisen living in parts of Switzerland and the Netherlands during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Overall, the surname Brenneisen has a rich history rooted in the German language and culture, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the Middle Ages. Throughout the centuries, individuals bearing this name have contributed to various fields, from the arts and crafts to other professions and trades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brenneisen
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenneisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brenneisen 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 Brenneisen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino17.5% · 20
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brenneisen
Brenneisen 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+4 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,100 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-13 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,447 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 5,100 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 13,447 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 Brenneisen 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 | #133,048 | #146,495 | -10.1% |
| Count | 127 | 114 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brenneisen bearers went from 127 to 114 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 13,447 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #146,495.
FAQ
Brenneisen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brenneisen?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Brenneisen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Brenneisen?
Brenneisen ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Brenneisen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Brenneisen.
Has Brenneisen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brenneisen went from 127 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Brenneisen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenneisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Brenneisen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brenneisen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Hispanic (17.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Brenneisen (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 Brenneisen mean?
A German surname meaning "burning iron" or "hot iron". 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 Brenneisen (0.04 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 Brenneisen?
Want to know how many people are called Brenneisen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.