2000
#2,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.13
Uncommon Last name
Brice
A French toponymic surname derived from several places in France named Brice, likely meaning "broken, craggy place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,491 Americans carry the last name Brice. That puts it at #3,230 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brice 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 Brice with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,440
Census rank
#3,230
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,893 bearers of the surname Brice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3230th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brice, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brice
Among Census respondents with the surname Brice, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brice 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 Brice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.2% · 4,920
- White44.8% · 4,875
- Two or more races4.9% · 536
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 448
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brice
Brice 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
#3,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,697
+544 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.97
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#3,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,893
-804 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 3.64
Rank movement Down 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,968 | 11,153 | 4.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,067 | 11,697 | 3.97 | +544 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #3,230 | 10,893 | 3.64 | -804 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 163 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 Brice 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 | #3,067 | #3,230 | -5.3% |
| Count | 11,697 | 10,893 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.97 | 3.64 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brice bearers went from 11,697 to 10,893 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,067 to #3,230.
FAQ
Brice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brice?
Name Census estimates that about 12,491 living Americans carry the surname Brice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,440 residents.
How common is Brice?
Brice ranks #3,230 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,893 people with the surname Brice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,491), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Brice.
Has Brice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brice went from 11,697 recorded bearers to 10,893. That is a decrease of 804 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,067 to #3,230.
What does the Census say about the background of Brice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brice, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.2%. The next largest groups are White (44.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.2% (4,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.2%), White (44.8%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Brice (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 Brice mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from several places in France named Brice, likely meaning "broken, craggy place." 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 Brice (3.64 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 Brice?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Brice, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.