2000
#12,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Brey
A toponymic surname derived from various places in France meaning "the hill" or "the mount" in Old French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,461 Americans carry the last name Brey. That puts it at #13,541 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brey 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 Brey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,274
Census rank
#13,541
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,146 bearers of the surname Brey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13541st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brey
The surname Brey has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Bräu," which means "brew" or "beer-making." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in the brewing industry.
In the Middle Ages, surnames were often occupational, reflecting the trade or profession of the family. The name Brey could have been given to those who worked as brewers or were involved in the production and sale of beer. Beer was an important beverage during this period, and the brewing trade was a respected and lucrative occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brey can be found in the records of the town of Mühlhausen in Thuringia, Germany, where a certain Hans Brey was mentioned in a document dated 1388. This document suggests that the Brey family had already established itself in the region by that time.
Another notable early reference to the name Brey comes from the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany. In this collection, a certain Henning Brey is mentioned in a document dated 1412, further solidifying the presence of the name in various parts of Germany during the late medieval period.
Over the centuries, the Brey surname has also been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Johann Samuel Brey (1770-1831), a German pastor and theologian known for his works on Christian ethics and moral philosophy. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Brey (1800-1875), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin during the 19th century.
In the realm of literature, Karl Brey (1847-1919) was a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his works that captured the essence of rural life in the Bavarian countryside. Additionally, the name Brey has been linked to various place names, such as the village of Brey in the Saarland region of Germany, further emphasizing the historical roots of the surname in various German regions.
It's worth noting that the name Brey has also been found in other European countries, likely due to migration patterns and the spread of German-speaking populations. For instance, there are records of individuals with the surname Brey in countries like Austria, Switzerland, and even the Netherlands, reflecting the cultural and linguistic connections between these regions and Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brey
Among Census respondents with the surname Brey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Brey 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 Brey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 1,935
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 97
- Two or more races2.7% · 59
- Black or African American1.6% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brey
Brey 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
#13,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,326
+105 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 402 places
2020
#13,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,146
-180 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,753 | 2,221 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,155 | 2,326 | 0.79 | +105 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 402 places |
| 2020 | #13,541 | 2,146 | 0.72 | -180 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 386 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 Brey 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 | #13,155 | #13,541 | -2.9% |
| Count | 2,326 | 2,146 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.72 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brey bearers went from 2,326 to 2,146 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 386 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,155 to #13,541.
FAQ
Brey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,461 living Americans carry the surname Brey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,274 residents.
How common is Brey?
Brey ranks #13,541 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,146 people with the surname Brey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Brey.
Has Brey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brey went from 2,326 recorded bearers to 2,146. That is a decrease of 180 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,155 to #13,541.
What does the Census say about the background of Brey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Brey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (1,935 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Brey (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 Brey mean?
A toponymic surname derived from various places in France meaning "the hill" or "the mount" in Old French. 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 Brey (0.72 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 surname Brey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.