2000
#6,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Brenneman
A surname of German origin, referring to someone who lived near a well or spring.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,550 Americans carry the last name Brenneman. That puts it at #5,830 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brenneman 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
6.5K
1 in 52,329
Census rank
#5,830
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,712 bearers of the surname Brenneman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5830th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brenneman
The surname Brenneman originated from Germany and Switzerland, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name derived from the village or town of Brennen, which means "to burn" or "to clear land by burning" in German.
In the 13th century, the name Brenneman was documented as Brennemann in various German records and manuscripts. This early spelling variation highlights the name's connection to the practice of clearing land through burning, a common method used by settlers and farmers at the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brenneman can be found in the Pomeranian town of Kolberg, where a certain Johann Brenneman was mentioned in a church registry dating back to 1478. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the Brenneman family was well-established in the canton of Bern by the 16th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Brenneman include Johann Georg Brenneman (1668-1734), a German Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony. In the United States, Jacob Brenneman (1785-1857) was a prominent Mennonite leader and minister from Pennsylvania, who played a significant role in shaping the religious community's beliefs and practices.
Another noteworthy figure was William Brenneman (1834-1924), an American businessman and industrialist from Ohio, known for his contributions to the development of the agricultural machinery industry. In the field of education, Ida Brenneman (1868-1944) was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, serving as the first female principal of the State Normal School in Millersville, Pennsylvania.
Additionally, the Brenneman name has been associated with various place names and locations throughout history. For instance, the village of Brenneman in Ontario, Canada, was named after one of the early settlers bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brenneman
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Brenneman 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 Brenneman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 5,389
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 136
- Two or more races2.3% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brenneman
Brenneman 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
#6,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,629
+405 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#5,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,712
+83 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Up 264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,057 | 5,224 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,094 | 5,629 | 1.91 | +405 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #5,830 | 5,712 | 1.91 | +83 bearers (+1.5%) | Up 264 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 Brenneman 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 | #6,094 | #5,830 | 4.3% |
| Count | 5,629 | 5,712 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.91 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brenneman bearers went from 5,629 to 5,712 (+1.5% change). The surname moved up 264 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,094 to #5,830.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brenneman
FAQ
Brenneman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brenneman?
Name Census estimates that about 6,550 living Americans carry the surname Brenneman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,329 residents.
How common is Brenneman?
Brenneman ranks #5,830 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,712 people with the surname Brenneman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,550), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Brenneman.
Has Brenneman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brenneman went from 5,629 recorded bearers to 5,712. That is an increase of 83 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,094 to #5,830.
What does the Census say about the background of Brenneman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Brenneman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (5,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brenneman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Brenneman (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 Brenneman mean?
A surname of German origin, referring to someone who lived near a well or spring. 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 Brenneman (1.91 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 Americans have the surname Brenneman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.