2000
#39,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Bresson
A French surname derived from the Old French term "breton" meaning someone from Brittany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 651 Americans carry the last name Bresson. That puts it at #41,313 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 526,504 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bresson 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
651
1 in 526,504
Census rank
#41,313
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
568
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 568 bearers of the surname Bresson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41313th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bresson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bresson
The surname Bresson originated in France in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "bresse," which referred to a wooded area or thicket. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked in a densely forested region.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bresson can be found in various French records from the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in regions like Burgundy and Franche-Comté. In some cases, the name appeared in its earlier spellings, such as "Bressom" or "Bresson."
One notable historical reference to the name Bresson is in the 15th-century "Armorial de Gilles Le Bouvier," a collection of heraldic arms and descriptions. This work mentions a family bearing the Bresson name and their coat of arms, indicating their noble status during that period.
In terms of places associated with the name, there is a town called Bresson in the Isère department of southeastern France. It is possible that the surname may have originated from this location or a similar place name.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname Bresson throughout history. One of the earliest was Jean Bresson (c. 1460-1535), a French composer and choir master who served at the courts of Louis XII and Francis I. Another notable figure was Jacques Bresson (1643-1723), a French engraver and printmaker known for his portraits and religious scenes.
In the 19th century, Émile Bresson (1831-1904) was a French lawyer and politician who served as a member of the National Assembly. His contemporary, Henri Bresson (1846-1925), was a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Bresson was the French photographer and filmmaker Robert Bresson (1901-1999). Known for his minimalist and transcendental style, he directed influential films such as "Au Hasard Balthazar" and "Pickpocket."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bresson
Among Census respondents with the surname Bresson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bresson 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 Bresson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 516
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 19
- Two or more races3.0% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bresson
Bresson 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
#47,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 444
-86 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 8,595 places
2020
#41,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 568
+124 bearers (+27.9%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 6,393 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,111 | 530 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,706 | 444 | 0.15 | -86 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 8,595 places |
| 2020 | #41,313 | 568 | 0.19 | +124 bearers (+27.9%) | Up 6,393 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 Bresson 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 | #47,706 | #41,313 | 13.4% |
| Count | 444 | 568 | 27.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.19 | 26.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bresson bearers went from 444 to 568 (+27.9% change). The surname moved up 6,393 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,706 to #41,313.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bresson
FAQ
Bresson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bresson?
Name Census estimates that about 651 living Americans carry the surname Bresson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 526,504 residents.
How common is Bresson?
Bresson ranks #41,313 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 568 people with the surname Bresson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (651), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Bresson.
Has Bresson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bresson went from 444 recorded bearers to 568. That is an increase of 124 (+27.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #47,706 to #41,313.
What does the Census say about the background of Bresson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bresson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Bresson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bresson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Bresson (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 Bresson mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French term "breton" meaning someone from Brittany. 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 Bresson (0.19 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 Bresson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.