Find out how popular the last name Brice is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brice.

Brice, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brice surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brice in America

Brice is the 3067th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brice surname appeared 11,697 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Brice.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brice to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brice

The surname Brice originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French personal name Brice, which in turn comes from the Celtic name Bricius. This name is thought to be related to the Celtic root "brig" meaning "high" or "noble."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Brice date back to the 12th century in various regions of northern France, such as Normandy and Picardy. In these regions, the name was often spelled as Briz or Bris before evolving to its modern form.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Brice was Raoul Brice, a Norman nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. Records show that he held lands near the town of Caen in Normandy.

In the 13th century, the name Brice appeared in the Hundred Rolls, a census of landowners in England commissioned by King Edward I. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname had started to migrate from France to England during this period.

One notable figure with the surname Brice was Saint Brice, a 5th-century Bishop of Tours in present-day France. Although his name was likely a given name rather than a surname, he is an important historical figure associated with the name.

In the 14th century, the surname Brice can be found in the records of the town of Brix, located in the Manche department of northern France. This place name may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the surname in the surrounding areas.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals with the surname Brice gained prominence in various fields. For example, Germain Brice (1538-1594) was a French Protestant theologian and author, while Stephen Brice (1543-1616) was an English composer and organist during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 18th century, Jacques Brice (1707-1777) was a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule. Around the same time, John Brice (1705-1765) was an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on the history of Norfolk county.

As the surname spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, individuals with the name Brice made their mark in various fields, from academia and literature to politics and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brice

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brice.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brice was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brice has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brice was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brice, please contact us.

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