2000
#101,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Briana
An occupational surname derived from a word meaning "highwayman" or "robber."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Briana. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Briana 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Briana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Briana, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Briana
The surname BRIANA has its origins in the medieval Italian regions of Tuscany and Umbria, dating back to around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "brianus," which means "brown" or "dark-haired." This suggests that the name was initially used as a nickname to describe someone with a dark complexion or hair color.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BRIANA can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of medieval documents from the Lombard territories of Italy, where a certain Brianus de Montefalco is mentioned in a legal document dated 1187. This individual was likely from the town of Montefalco in the province of Perugia, Umbria.
Another notable historical figure bearing the surname BRIANA was Guglielmo Briana, a 13th-century Florentine merchant and banker who is mentioned in several records from the city's archives. His name appears in documents related to trade and financial transactions conducted between 1250 and 1278.
In the 14th century, the name BRIANA can be found in the Libro Rosso di Stazzema, an ancient manuscript from the town of Stazzema in the province of Lucca, Tuscany. This record contains the names of local families and landowners, including a certain Ser Briana di Piero, who owned property in the area around 1340.
During the Renaissance period, a notable bearer of the surname BRIANA was the Italian painter and architect Giuliano di Baccio Briana, born in Florence in 1459. He was a contemporary of the famous Michelangelo and is known for his fresco paintings in several churches and palaces throughout Tuscany.
In the 16th century, the name BRIANA can be found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where a certain Miguel Briana, born in 1523 in Seville, was accused of practicing Judaism in secret. This historical record provides evidence of the surname's spread beyond Italy to other parts of Europe.
Throughout the centuries, the surname BRIANA has also been associated with various place names and locations in Italy, such as the village of Briana in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, and the town of Briano in the province of Como, Lombardy. These place names likely share the same etymological roots as the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Briana
Among Census respondents with the surname Briana, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Briana 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 Briana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.1% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino21.8% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.3% · 23
- Black or African American11.8% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Briana
Briana 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-42 bearers (-25.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 35,673 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #101,654 | 164 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -42 bearers (-25.6%) | Down 35,673 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,461 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 Briana 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 | #137,327 | #142,788 | -4.0% |
| Count | 122 | 119 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Briana bearers went from 122 to 119 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #142,788.
FAQ
Briana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Briana?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Briana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Briana?
Briana ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Briana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Briana.
Has Briana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Briana went from 122 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Briana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Briana, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.3%). 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 Briana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.1% (56 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Briana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.1%), Hispanic (21.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.3%). 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 Briana (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 Briana mean?
An occupational surname derived from a word meaning "highwayman" or "robber." 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 Briana (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 common is the surname Briana?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Briana on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.