2000
#2,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.86
Uncommon Last name
Brenner
An occupational surname referring to someone who distilled or sold brandy or other strong liquors.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,249 Americans carry the last name Brenner. That puts it at #2,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,871 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brenner 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Brenner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,871
Census rank
#2,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,042 bearers of the surname Brenner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brenner
The surname Brenner is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "brennen," which means "to burn." The name likely referred to someone who worked as a burner or charcoal maker.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various medieval records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. It was particularly prevalent in regions of present-day Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Brenner, a wealthy merchant who lived in Nuremberg in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in several trade records from the time.
In the 15th century, the name Brenner appeared in the famous Berner Chronik, a medieval chronicle from the city of Bern, Switzerland. The chronicle mentions a certain Hans Brenner, a skilled craftsman who worked on the construction of the Bern Cathedral.
During the 16th century, the surname gained prominence with the birth of Andreas Brenner (1495-1559), a German theologian and reformer. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann von Brenner (1624-1673), a German astronomer and mathematician. He made important contributions to the study of comets and the calculation of their orbits.
In the 18th century, the name Brenner was associated with the Austrian botanist and physician Johann Gottlieb Brenner (1730-1801). He was renowned for his research on the flora of the Tyrol region and published several works on the subject.
The 19th century saw the birth of the German painter and printmaker Eduard Brenner (1834-1892). He was a prominent figure in the Munich School of Realist painters and is known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
Throughout history, the surname Brenner has been linked to various place names and locations, such as the Brenner Pass, a famous mountain pass in the Alps between Italy and Austria. The pass was named after the nearby village of Brenner, which in turn derived its name from the German word "brennen."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brenner
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Brenner 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 Brenner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 13,843
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 514
- Two or more races2.8% · 424
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 133
- Black or African American0.5% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brenner
Brenner 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
#2,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,114
+305 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 5.46
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#2,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,042
-1,072 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 5.03
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,106 | 15,809 | 5.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,255 | 16,114 | 5.46 | +305 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #2,365 | 15,042 | 5.03 | -1,072 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 110 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 Brenner 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 | #2,255 | #2,365 | -4.9% |
| Count | 16,114 | 15,042 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.46 | 5.03 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brenner bearers went from 16,114 to 15,042 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,255 to #2,365.
FAQ
Brenner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brenner?
Name Census estimates that about 17,249 living Americans carry the surname Brenner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,871 residents.
How common is Brenner?
Brenner ranks #2,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,042 people with the surname Brenner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Brenner.
Has Brenner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brenner went from 16,114 recorded bearers to 15,042. That is a decrease of 1,072 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,255 to #2,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Brenner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Brenner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (13,843 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brenner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Brenner (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 Brenner mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who distilled or sold brandy or other strong liquors. 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 Brenner (5.03 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 Brenner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.