2000
#7,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,326
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Breslin
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Breasláin, meaning "descendant of Breislean," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,820 Americans carry the last name Breslin. That puts it at #7,607 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,111 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breslin 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 Breslin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,111
Census rank
#7,607
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,203 bearers of the surname Breslin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7607th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breslin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breslin
The surname Breslin is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "O'Brasalain", meaning "descendant of Brasalan". The name is believed to have emerged in the 12th century in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
The Breslin name is thought to be associated with the ancient Irish clan of O'Brassil, who were lords of the territory of Fassadinin, located in what is now County Kilkenny. The clan's ancestral home was the town of Fassadinin, and the name O'Brassil is derived from the Irish words "bras" meaning "attack" or "onset" and "daine" meaning "men".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Breslin name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention an individual named Domhnall O'Brasalain who died in 1348.
Another notable early record of the name is found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of public records from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. These records mention a John O'Brassill who was pardoned by Queen Elizabeth I in 1588.
Prominent individuals with the Breslin surname throughout history include:
1. Terence Breslin (1940-2018), an Irish actor best known for his roles in films such as "The Commitments" and "The Field".
2. Patrick Breslin (1888-1937), an American writer and journalist who covered World War I and the Mexican Revolution.
3. James E. Breslin (1897-1967), an American Catholic prelate who served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn from 1954 to 1967.
4. Jimmy Breslin (1928-2017), an American journalist and author who won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1986.
5. Dermot Breslin (1969-present), an Irish singer and musician who has performed with the band The Troubles.
The Breslin name has also been associated with various place names, such as Breslin Castle, a medieval fortification located in County Kilkenny, Ireland, and Breslin's Folly, a historic building in New York City named after its owner, a man named Breslin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breslin
Among Census respondents with the surname Breslin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Breslin 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 Breslin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 3,823
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 156
- Two or more races3.6% · 150
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 38
- Black or African American0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breslin
Breslin 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
#7,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,490
+164 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 296 places
2020
#7,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,203
-287 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 189 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,122 | 4,326 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,418 | 4,490 | 1.52 | +164 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 296 places |
| 2020 | #7,607 | 4,203 | 1.41 | -287 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 189 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 Breslin 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 | #7,418 | #7,607 | -2.5% |
| Count | 4,490 | 4,203 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.41 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breslin bearers went from 4,490 to 4,203 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 189 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,418 to #7,607.
FAQ
Breslin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breslin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,820 living Americans carry the surname Breslin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,111 residents.
How common is Breslin?
Breslin ranks #7,607 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,203 people with the surname Breslin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,820), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Breslin.
Has Breslin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breslin went from 4,490 recorded bearers to 4,203. That is a decrease of 287 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,418 to #7,607.
What does the Census say about the background of Breslin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breslin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Breslin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,823 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breslin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Breslin (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 Breslin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Breasláin, meaning "descendant of Breislean," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Breslin (1.41 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 have the last name Breslin?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Breslin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.