2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bretscher
Of German origin, a habitational surname for someone from a place named Bretsch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 156 Americans carry the last name Bretscher. That puts it at #130,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,197,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bretscher 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
156
1 in 2,197,143
Census rank
#130,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
136
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 136 bearers of the surname Bretscher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 130360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bretscher
The surname Bretscher has its origins in Switzerland, tracing back to the 16th century. It likely originated from the Swiss-German word "bretsche," which referred to a raised wooden platform or watchtower, suggesting that the name might have been an occupational surname for someone who worked on such structures.
The earliest known record of the name Bretscher dates back to 1548 in the town of Gränichen, in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland. During this time, variations in spelling were common, with the name appearing as Brettscher, Bretschger, and Bretschi in various historical documents.
One notable historical reference to the name Bretscher can be found in the records of the Swiss Reformation, where a Jakob Bretscher (1528-1594) is mentioned as a Protestant reformer and minister in Aarau, Switzerland.
Another early example of the name is Hans Bretscher (1570-1638), a Swiss merchant and politician from Bern, who served as a member of the Great Council (Grosser Rat) in the early 17th century.
In the late 18th century, the name Bretscher was also found in the region of Alsace, which was then part of France, indicating that some members of the family had migrated from Switzerland to neighboring regions.
One of the earliest known examples of the name outside of Switzerland is Johann Bretscher (1758-1838), a German-born writer and translator who spent most of his life in Alsace.
Another notable figure with the surname Bretscher was Otto Bretscher (1890-1975), a Swiss architect and city planner who was influential in the development of modern urban planning in Switzerland during the mid-20th century.
Throughout the centuries, the name Bretscher has also been associated with various professions and occupations, such as craftsmen, farmers, and merchants, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bretscher
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bretscher 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 Bretscher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 121
- Two or more races5.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 6
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bretscher
Bretscher 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-17 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,960 places
2020
#130,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+13 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 6,089 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 20,960 places |
| 2020 | #130,360 | 136 | 0.05 | +13 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 6,089 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 Bretscher 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 | #136,449 | #130,360 | 4.5% |
| Count | 123 | 136 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bretscher bearers went from 123 to 136 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 6,089 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #130,360.
FAQ
Bretscher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bretscher?
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the surname Bretscher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,197,143 residents.
How common is Bretscher?
Bretscher ranks #130,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 136 people with the surname Bretscher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Bretscher.
Has Bretscher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bretscher went from 123 recorded bearers to 136. That is an increase of 13 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #136,449 to #130,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Bretscher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bretscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Bretscher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bretscher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Bretscher (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 Bretscher mean?
Of German origin, a habitational surname for someone from a place named Bretsch. 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 Bretscher (0.05 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 Bretscher?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.