2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brennfleck
A German surname referring to a person who lived near a burned patch of land or forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Brennfleck. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brennfleck 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Brennfleck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brennfleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brennfleck
The surname "BRENNFLECK" is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "brennen" meaning "to burn" and "fleck" meaning "spot" or "patch." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a burned or scorched area, or perhaps someone who worked with fire or had a distinctive burn mark or scar.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 14th century in the region of Bavaria. In a manuscript from the year 1387, a certain "Hans Brennfleck" is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Regensburg.
Another notable early reference is found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis," a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg. In a document from 1412, a "Peter Brennfleck" is listed as a witness in a legal dispute over land ownership.
By the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, including Saxony and Thuringia. In 1521, a "Konrad Brennfleck" is recorded as a merchant in the city of Leipzig.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Brennfleck (c. 1450-1520), a prominent glazier and stained glass artist who worked on several churches and cathedrals in Bavaria and Austria.
Another notable individual was Matthias Brennfleck (1578-1642), a Lutheran theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Jena.
In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Brennfleck (1712-1786) was a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the region of Saxony.
The name also appears in historical records from other parts of Europe, suggesting that some members of the family may have migrated or traveled across the continent.
In the 19th century, Karl Brennfleck (1832-1901) was a German artist known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Bavaria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brennfleck
Among Census respondents with the surname Brennfleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Brennfleck 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 Brennfleck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brennfleck
Brennfleck 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,612 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,594 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,612 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 3,594 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 Brennfleck 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 | #149,395 | #152,989 | -2.4% |
| Count | 110 | 105 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brennfleck bearers went from 110 to 105 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 3,594 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #152,989.
FAQ
Brennfleck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brennfleck?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Brennfleck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Brennfleck?
Brennfleck ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Brennfleck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Brennfleck.
Has Brennfleck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brennfleck went from 110 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Brennfleck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brennfleck, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Brennfleck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brennfleck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%), Black (1.0%). 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 Brennfleck (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 Brennfleck mean?
A German surname referring to a person who lived near a burned patch of land or forest. 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 Brennfleck (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 share the surname Brennfleck?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.