2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Brieschke
A German surname derived from a topographic name meaning someone who lived near a brushwood or thicket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Brieschke. 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 Brieschke 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 Brieschke 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 Brieschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brieschke
The surname Brieschke originates from the German region of Pomerania, which is now divided between Germany and Poland. The name is believed to have first emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Brieske," which means "swampy area" or "marshy land," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived in or near a wetland region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brieschke name can be found in the parish records of the town of Stargard, located in what is now the Polish region of West Pomerania. These records date back to the mid-16th century and include several entries for individuals with the surname Brieschke or variations thereof, such as Brieske or Briesche.
In the 17th century, the Brieschke name appears in various historical documents from the Pomeranian region, including land deeds, court records, and tax rolls. These documents provide insights into the lives and occupations of some Brieschke families during this period, many of whom were farmers or landowners.
One notable individual with the Brieschke surname was Hans Brieschke, a Lutheran pastor who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the minister of the church in the town of Massow, which was then part of Pomerania. Records indicate that he was born around 1560 and died in 1628.
Another historical figure bearing the Brieschke name was Johann Brieschke, a merchant and landowner who lived in the 18th century. He was born in 1712 in the town of Stargard and became a prominent figure in the region, owning several properties and businesses.
In the 19th century, the Brieschke surname gained wider recognition with the birth of Carl Brieschke (1801-1876), a German writer and journalist. He was born in the town of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland) and became known for his literary works and contributions to various publications.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Brieschke name outside of Germany and Poland can be found in the United States. In the late 19th century, several Brieschke families immigrated to America, settling in various states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. One of these early immigrants was August Brieschke, who was born in 1848 in Pomerania and arrived in the United States in the 1870s, eventually settling in Wisconsin.
Throughout history, the Brieschke surname has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations in the Pomeranian region, such as the village of Brieschkehöhe, which was once located near the town of Schivelbein (now Świdwin, Poland).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brieschke
Among Census respondents with the surname Brieschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Brieschke 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 Brieschke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 101
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brieschke
Brieschke 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,103 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,813 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 4,103 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,813 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 Brieschke 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 | #144,141 | #147,954 | -2.6% |
| Count | 115 | 112 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brieschke bearers went from 115 to 112 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,813 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,954.
FAQ
Brieschke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brieschke?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Brieschke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Brieschke?
Brieschke 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 Brieschke. 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 Brieschke.
Has Brieschke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brieschke went from 115 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Brieschke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brieschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brieschke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brieschke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (7.1%), Black (0.9%). 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 Brieschke (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 Brieschke mean?
A German surname derived from a topographic name meaning someone who lived near a brushwood or thicket. 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 Brieschke (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 share the surname Brieschke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.