2000
#8,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,695
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Breton
A French geographical surname referring to a person from Brittany, a region in northwestern France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,629 Americans carry the last name Breton. That puts it at #7,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breton 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 Breton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,045
Census rank
#7,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,037 bearers of the surname Breton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breton, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breton
The surname Breton originated from the Brittany region of northwestern France. It derives from the Breton people, a Celtic ethnic group who migrated from southwestern Britain across the English Channel between the 4th and 7th centuries AD.
The name Breton literally means "Breton" or "Briton" in French, referring to the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Breton people. Their language, Breton, is a Brittonic Celtic language closely related to Cornish and Welsh.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Breton can be found in medieval French records and documents. One notable example is Jehan Breton, a French knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century.
The Breton surname is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous is André Breton (1896-1966), a French writer, poet, and leader of the Surrealist movement in the early 20th century.
Another prominent individual with the surname Breton was Léon Breton (1724-1808), a French painter and engraver known for his landscapes and historical scenes. He was a member of the French Academy of Fine Arts and received numerous commissions from the French royal court.
In the realm of literature, Jules Breton (1827-1906) was a celebrated French Naturalist painter and poet. He is best known for his depictions of rural life and peasant scenes, capturing the beauty and hardship of the French countryside.
The Breton surname can also be found in the English-speaking world. One notable example is Sir Nicholas Breton (c. 1545-c. 1626), an English poet, novelist, and courtier during the late Renaissance period.
Another individual with the surname Breton was Jacques Breton (1901-1981), a French-Canadian painter and member of the Automatist movement. His surrealist paintings and experimental techniques influenced the development of modern art in Quebec.
While the surname Breton has its roots in the Brittany region of France, it has spread across various countries and cultures over the centuries, reflecting the diverse histories and experiences of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breton
Among Census respondents with the surname Breton, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Breton 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 Breton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 2,641
- Hispanic or Latino28.6% · 1,154
- Two or more races2.5% · 102
- Black or African American2.4% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breton
Breton 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
#7,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,322
+627 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Up 567 places
2020
#7,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,037
-285 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,249 | 3,695 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,682 | 4,322 | 1.47 | +627 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 567 places |
| 2020 | #7,883 | 4,037 | 1.35 | -285 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 201 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 Breton 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 | #7,682 | #7,883 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,322 | 4,037 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.35 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breton bearers went from 4,322 to 4,037 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,682 to #7,883.
FAQ
Breton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,629 living Americans carry the surname Breton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,045 residents.
How common is Breton?
Breton ranks #7,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,037 people with the surname Breton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,629), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Breton.
Has Breton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breton went from 4,322 recorded bearers to 4,037. That is a decrease of 285 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,682 to #7,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Breton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breton, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (28.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Breton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (2,641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.4%), Hispanic (28.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Breton (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 Breton mean?
A French geographical surname referring to a person from Brittany, a region in northwestern France. 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 Breton (1.35 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 Breton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.