2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Breyne
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Brainne in Belgium.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Breyne. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breyne 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Breyne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breyne
The surname BREYNE originated in the Low Countries, specifically in the region that is now modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands. Its earliest recorded use can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "breen," which means "to burn" or "to set on fire," possibly referring to someone who worked as a charcoal burner or in a similar occupation involving fire or burning.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Flemish town of Ghent, where a certain Jan Breyne is mentioned in a document from the year 1275. In the following centuries, the name appears in various records and manuscripts from the Low Countries, with variations in spelling such as Breyn, Breijen, and Breijne.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the surname BREYNE emerged in the region. One such person was Jacques de Breyne, a Flemish botanist who lived from 1637 to 1697. He was known for his extensive collection of plants and his contributions to the study of plant taxonomy. Another noteworthy figure was Johannes Breyne, a Dutch physician and naturalist who lived from 1639 to 1719. He authored several works on plants and animals, including a book titled "Prodromus Plantarum Rariorum" (Forerunner of Rare Plants).
In the 18th century, the name BREYNE spread beyond the Low Countries as individuals migrated to other parts of Europe and the world. Johann Philipp Breyne, a German botanist born in 1680, made significant contributions to the study of plants from the Cape of Good Hope region in South Africa. His work, "Exoticarum Plantarum Centuria" (A Century of Exotic Plants), published in 1678, was an influential publication in the field of botany.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Jacques-Philippe Breyne, a French painter and engraver who lived from 1767 to 1830. He is best known for his landscape paintings and engravings depicting scenes from the countryside around Paris.
As the centuries progressed, the name BREYNE continued to be found in various regions, with individuals making their mark in different fields. However, many of the earliest and most prominent bearers of this surname can be traced back to the Low Countries, where the name originated and gained prominence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breyne
Among Census respondents with the surname Breyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Breyne 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 Breyne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 105
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breyne
Breyne appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+12 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 13,021 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 Breyne 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 | #160,975 | #147,954 | 8.1% |
| Count | 100 | 112 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breyne bearers went from 100 to 112 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 13,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #147,954.
FAQ
Breyne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breyne?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Breyne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Breyne?
Breyne ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Breyne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Breyne.
Has Breyne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breyne went from 100 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 12 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Breyne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Breyne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breyne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Breyne (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 Breyne mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Brainne in Belgium. 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 Breyne (0.04 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 are called Breyne?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Breyne on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.